Brandi Passante's Tragic True Life Story
You can't think about "Storage Wars" without thinking about Brandi Passante. Fans admire the wit and charm she brings to balance out the guys on the show. Though some know her because of her partnership with Jarrod Schulz and their brief "Storage Wars" spinoff show, others are up to date on her life through social media and her nearly 500,000 followers.
However, not a lot of people know what really happened to the "Storage Wars" star. Passante has lived a very public life through being on television with her ex-partner, involving her kids in the spinoff series, and having many aspects of her personal life reported in the tabloids. But not a lot of people truly grasp the tragic nature of her life off-screen when she's not an expert buyer. But why did she leave Storage Wars?" What happened to her and Schulz to make them split? Read on for the answers as to how Passante has persevered through her tragic life and is better for it.
She had a hard childhood
Though many of Brandi Passante's known struggles in life have taken place during more recent years, she faced hardships before fame was a factor. She is very clearly up against a tough crowd with her fellow "Storage Wars" buyers who are pretty much all men, especially in the earlier seasons. But because of the way she grew up, Passante was used to holding her own in a group of strong men.
In an interview with Lifetime Mom, Passante talked about working in a male-dominated industry, and whether or not this proved difficult for her. In response, Passante said it forces her to be tough and to not be as emotional about the outcome of things. She then talked about how she had practice functioning in a male-dominated arena because she grew up with brothers. As a child, they used to beat up on her pretty heavily, which she credits to toughening her up. She explained, "I find that the men in my business will walk all over you once they discover your weaknesses, so you have no choice but to develop a thick skin." Though it ultimately helped her career, it was hard for her during her childhood.
Her father died in 2020
With the emergence of COVID-19 and the shutdown of normal life as we knew it, the year 2020 was hard for almost everyone. However, for a lot of people, 2020 brought death and grief, making the already difficult time that much harder. For Brandi Passante, she had to deal with a difficult loss when her father died in October of 2020. In an Instagram post, Passante talked about how she was "most definitely a daddy's girl" and fondly remembered how he would never get mad at her or yell at her for anything. She talked about her father in a very positive light, giving her fans the idea that her relationship with him was very special and that his passing hit her extremely hard.
The emotional post also alluded to the fact that Passante lost more loved ones than just her father in 2020. She wrote, "Now if everyone I love could stop dying in such close proximity that would be great." Though she did not elaborate on who else she lost, it is clear from how she talks about her dad and her other loved ones that 2020 was a hard year for her.
She had a public split with Jarrod Schulz
As most fans of "Storage Wars" know, Brandi Passante came in a package deal with her partner Jarrod Schulz for many years — nearly two decades, in fact. During the first 12 seasons of "Storage Wars," the two were partners in buying, leading to a lot of drama on-screen and off-screen. Nonetheless, many fans were surprised when Brandi announced in the Season 13 premiere that she and Jarrod had split up.
Most of the shock came from the fact that Passante and Schulz were able to keep their breakup quiet for a while until the Season 13 premiere. As Schulz himself said in the Season 13 premiere, "Just because me and Brandi aren't together anymore, doesn't mean we can't go to an auction — but separately." However, the two of them definitely bickered a lot more, with Schulz even admitting, jokingly as it may have been, that if Passante would be bidding on something, he was sure to put in a bid as well. Though this is difficult for them to navigate professionally, Passante also had to figure out how to navigate this personal and emotional upheaval, too.
She's raising her children alone
Part of what made Brandi Passante and Jarrod Schulz's split so difficult was the fact that children were involved. Passante and Schulz have two kids, Payton and Cameron, who both had to deal with the split, too. Passante has full custody of the children, as noted in her Facebook Live interview with The Dad Diary where she talked about raising them as a single mom. The details of the custody arrangement are not public, but it seems that Passante shoulders much of the burden.
Not only that, but Passante actively stopped posting photos of her children on social media after people began to make creepy comments about them. In an Instagram post of her daughter, Passante captions it about how she stopped posting because creepy dudes were making disgusting comments but that she made an exception for this one because she was "so proud of how beautiful my little is in her winter formal fit." Having to navigate her own image in the public eye is difficult enough, but censoring her posts because people refuse to behave in the comment section is a whole other story.
Her ex was arrested for domestic violence
Another difficulty from Brandi Passante's split with Jarrod Schulz came in the form of his domestic violence charge. Though the couple worked hard to maintain professionalism for the sake of "Storage Wars" and the show's continued success, off-screen, Schulz apparently made things very difficult. In 2021, Schulz faced criminal charges after a domestic violence incident with Passante. When she was at a bar with her friends in Orange County, Schulz allegedly showed up and began acting in a belligerent way.
The two got into a heated exchange and when Passante told him to leave her alone, Schulz allegedly pushed her twice while yelling at her. The cops were called to the bar, but by the time they showed up, Schulz was gone. He denied ever laying a hand on Passante, but the Orange County D.A.'s Office charged him with one count of misdemeanor domestic violence battery. This, of course, added strain to not only their relationship, but his relationship with their children, and their working relationship, too. Passante has not said much about the incident publicly, but Schulz did not return to "Storage Wars" following this incident — a clear indicator that the situation between them did not improve.
Her spinoff show failed
There was a time before Brandi Passante and Jarrod Schulz split up when they were seemingly on a good professional track outside of "Storage Wars." Because fans loved the pair so much, A&E awarded the couple with a spinoff show from "Storage Wars" in 2014 called "Brandi & Jarrod: Married to the Job." The show followed the couple outside of the auctions and showed what it was like for them to raise their children while being in this hectic public eye. Meanwhile, the two were making wedding plans after 15 years together and running their secondhand store.
Passante and Schulz only had one season of this show with eight episodes. Ironically, though Schulz proposed in this series, the two never got married. Ultimately, the show didn't do well enough to warrant any more seasons. After the spinoff's cancellation, the couple just went back to doing "Storage Wars" and continued their buying on that show, with their personal lives falling less under the public eye.
She was targeted by a revenge porn distributor
Ever since she came into the public eye through reality television, Brandi Passante has always had her personal life details reported on. However, partially because she is famous, she became a target for scams or, in this case, harmful attempts to crush her brand. In 2012, revenge porn distributor Hunter Moore posted a nude video on his website and claimed the woman in the video was Passante. Passante claimed she was not the subject of this video and sued Moore for defamation, invasion of privacy, consumer fraud, and more.
Initially, Passante requested $2.5 million. Though she ultimately won the case, she was only awarded $750. The judge felt the full amount couldn't be justified, but Moore also had to pick up Passante's legal fees. Ultimately, Passante's image didn't seem to suffer much from this video. Moore's website IsAnyoneUp.com became known for using videos that featured subjects who didn't give permission to upload, known as "revenge porn" or "stalker porn," and the site has been shut down since 2012. Passante suffered much anxiety and stress from the whole ordeal, as she was unsure about how the video would impact her image.
Being in the limelight harmed her mental health
Though there are some clear instances of Brandi Passante struggling with the limelight — i.e. a revenge porn scandal, having her private relationship with Schulz completely public, and having creepy people comment on her children — even the good parts of fame proved difficult for her. In an interview with The Dad Diary, Passante talked about how in the beginning of her fame, she got a lot of creepy letters, she had to move to a gated community, and she felt the whole course of her life shift.
In response to these events, Passante said she went to therapy to help her navigate through the stress and anxiety she works through on a daily basis. She also said, though she has mostly recovered from this by now, that when she first got famous, she was afraid to leave the house. "Storage Wars," as The Dad Diary host Danny Jordan pointed out, is much different from other reality television shows because the stars are going out and interacting with the public on a regular basis. Whether or not this was the reason for people to think Passante was an easier target for bullying or creepy behavior is up to opinion. However, Passante also pointed out that some of the more intense fans would show up to auctions and sometimes make her job extremely stressful.
She is a survivor of domestic abuse
Brandi Passante worked to keep her relationship with Jarrod Schulz professional following their split, which is evident through her lack of social media posts bashing him and through their continued banter on "Storage Wars" which was more joking and playful than truly hurtful. Fans speculated that her professionalism toward Schulz extended to her post about being a domestic violence survivor, where she did not go into any specifics of the situation or name her abuser, who may or may not be Schulz as far as the general public knows.
In the Instagram post, Passante shows off her tattoo that reads the word "Free" with a bird attached to the end. She jokes that some of her fans might think she got the tattoo for the Lynyrd Skynyrd called "Free Bird," of which she is a huge fan. However, she clarifies that the tattoo is meaningful because "somehow, by the grace of god, I managed to escape a very difficult situation, that so many people fall victim to. I will be eternally grateful, for the life and freedom, without fear that I get to live now," she wrote. She thanked everyone for the empathy and grace, and used the hashtag #nationaldomesticviolenceawarenessmonth. The post was vulnerable and proof that Passante is growing from the hardships life throws at her.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
Her return to television proved tumultuous
Though "Storage Wars" has truly stood the test of time on A&E, the channel took a two-year break from the show prior to returning with Season 13 in 2021. This was because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced most production companies and long-standing shows to take a break for health and safety reasons. Brandi Passante, like many people in the television industry, was saddened by the break, joking in an interview with PopCulture that she was bored without a show to shoot.
However, not only was the hiatus in shooting difficult for her, but she said dealing with some of the lows of this season was a truly "tumultuous" experience. Part of this came from working with her ex, Jarrod Schulz, who also returned for the 13th season. The two of them managed to keep things mostly professional, but instead struggled to keep from bickering with each other. There are even rumors that because of Schulz's domestic violence charge, he may be fired from the show to make sure Passante stays on it. Either way, the future of the show is certainly going to be interesting for fans of the former pair.
She struggles with an autoimmune disease
While Brandi Passante is raising her children, dealing with her messy split, and navigating fame, she also has a health issue. Passante deals with comments on social media all the time, both negative and positive, but one fan questioned why her voice was so raspy — in a negative way, too. Passante responded by posting the direct message on her Instagram story, explaining that she has Hashimoto's disease.
According to Mayo Clinic, Hashimoto's disease is an autoimmune disorder that directly impacts the thyroid gland, located in the lower neck area. This disease is most common in middle-aged women, and while it is associated with numerous ailments — fatigue, digestive irregularity, mood irregularity, joint pain, and hair loss, among others – it can be treated with thyroid hormone replacement. Passante undergoes regular treatment for it. The condition is highly unlikely to be fatal, but this still weighs on her everyday life. Case in point: Passante deals with having her voice sound a lot raspier than normal when speaking on television, her podcast, or Instagram videos.
She's persevering through it all
Though Brandi Passante has dealt with a lot of trauma and tragedy in her life, she has ultimately always persevered. She is still thriving as one of the main buyers on "Storage Wars," on top of raising her kids and thriving through it all. She is a regular on a podcast, "Happening Now With Hammer," which promotes real, good stories through a fun set of hosts that are always seeking honest speakers. The podcast, hosted by Hammer, Adam Malarchick, and Passante, airs new episodes multiple times a week as of this writing.
Additionally, Passante does a lot of community work. She promotes the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention on her social media, and worked with the Women's Own Worth event, dedicated to helping survivors of domestic violence, as an emcee. Emceeing this was one of her biggest contributions, as she helped to pull in $100,000 for the 2019 WOWapalooza. Of the event, she said, "I have experienced some things in my life, and it's a really wonderful cause. It's things that are needed, so I wanted to help in any way possible." Despite all of the struggles she has faced, she finds pockets of happiness and ways to give back.