A relationship meltdown, a new tattoo, and an ex hit with criminal charges.
Here's what really happened to Brandi Passante from Storage Wars.
"Interesting is one way to put it."
Fame was a surprise to Brandi and Jarrod back when "Storage Wars" debuted in 2010.
They weren't expecting their appearances on the show to go anywhere, but when they did,
Brandi and Jarrod weren't ready for any of it.
Brandi went from full-time mom and part-time worker, to clocking 60 hours a week on the job.
The commitment also made her miss out on important family events, like her daughter's first day
of kindergarten.
Because of that, she took a temporary leave of absence from the show in 2014 — with
Jarrod in tow.
Suddenly spending every waking minute together for the show, Brandi and Jarrod's personalities
started to collide like never before.
At the time, they were also co-managing their Now and Then thrift store in Orange, California,
which wasn't making anything easier.
Brandi explained to the Times-Standard,
"Working together as a couple every day is quite an obstacle to overcome.
We're together 24 hours a day, seven days a week trying to make business decisions together."
"What was I thinking?"
As fans witnessed on the show, the pair were often at each other's throats, but things
were apparently even worse offscreen.
As Jarrod admitted to the OC Register,
"It makes our dysfunction seem a little less dysfunctional."
Leveraging off their successful brand, the couple soon landed their very own spin-off
show, "Brandi & Jarrod: Married to the Job."
The series followed the pair's journey as business owners, partners, and parents.
At one point, the couple even seemed to be headed to the altar, but they never actually
ended up tying the knot.
"I mean, after fifteen years of being with Jarrod, I mean, I just assumed that that ship
had sailed."
Unfortunately for the duo, the show failed to garner the same buzz that "Storage Wars" did.
A&E pulled the plug on the show after just eight episodes.
Brandi and Jarrod's relationship was over long before they went public with it in 2021,
but it was clear they were on thin ice back in 2018.
Jarrod's absence from Brandi's Instagram was obvious to eagle-eyed fans — as well as
the media.
Some outlets even spotted the star without her engagement ring, and cited a few photo
ops with new guys.
Not to be left in the dust, Jarrod also went public with girlfriend Rochel Beckman.
Given the overwhelming evidence of trouble between the two, no one was truly surprised
when Brandi finally broke the news that it was over.
Season 13 of "Storage Wars" brought about one of the show's biggest switch-ups: the
couple formerly known as the Young Guns would no longer be working as a team.
If anyone thought that meant less drama, they were wrong, as Jerrod didn't hesitate to make
things personal.
"If Brandi bids on it, I'll probably bid."
During the run-up to the Season 13 premiere, Brandi posted a promo shot on Twitter, in
which Jarrod's face was fully covered with a devil emoji.
"I could watch this all day long."
For Brandi, the drama on the show was one thing.
In real life, however, when Jarrod showed up at a gathering he wasn't invited to, things
got physical when he allegedly shoved Brandi multiple times.
Brandi would go on to claim that similar incidents contributed to the end of their decades-long
relationship.
In her efforts to move forward, she even got a tattoo to symbolize her journey toward independence.
Jarrod denied the allegations, but was charged with domestic battery, according to TMZ.
A&E launched an investigation into the matter, and while the findings were never revealed,
Jarrod was nowhere to be seen on the show's 14th season.
The breakup left Brandi with deep psychological wounds, and she had trouble cultivating her
own identity as a single woman.
However, after nearly a decade spent living as one half of a pair, Brandi is finally taking
control of her own destiny.
The star addressed rumors about her relationship status in February of 2021, and while she
admitted that she's dated a little, she's currently thriving on her own.
After the split, Brandi got primary custody of the couple's two teens, Payton and Cameron.
While raising them alone might seem like a big task, the star has admitted that she had
been pretty much doing it herself even when Jerrod was in the picture.
As for how she's perfected her work-life balance, she told MyLifetime.com,
"I used to be a stay-at-home mom and it was very difficult for me.
I love my kids, but I felt alienated and depressed when I didn't have a career, so I think I'm
a better parent because I work.
I'm happier because of it."
"My mom wants you to shut your face!"
"That's my son, Cameron."
Even though she's always glammed up for the cameras herself, Brandi has dutifully protected
her kids' privacy.
When they were younger, they were never seen on social media.
Now that they've grown up, Brandi is happy to share the occasional peek into her family life.
"Storage Wars" may have netted Brandi an estimated $2 million fortune, but the reality star is
happy to give back to those in need.
These days, she's advocating for women who have also faced domestic violence.
Brandi works closely with the Women's Own Worth organization.
As the host of their annual WOWapalooza event in 2019, she helped the charity bring in roughly
$100,000 in donations.
Brandi finds her charity work extremely rewarding: as she told The Saline Courier,
"I have experienced some things in my life, and it's a really wonderful cause.
[...] I wanted to help in any way possible."
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