Brandi Passante made a name for herself starring alongside Jarrod Schulz on A&E's
Storage Wars — and later, their spin-off, Brandi & Jarrod: Married to the Job.
While she had clearly risen to the top, Brandi always seemed to be skirting the fame.
Here's what she's been up to since wrapping the show.
"We had some rock star fights in the beginning. Y'know, just being
together 24/7, it's uh, it's a little tough." While they seemed to weather every situation on
the show, rumors started to circulate in 2019 that Brandi and her longtime partner — and father of
her two kids — Jarrod Schulz, had split. Starcasm noted that they were no longer appearing on each
other's social media accounts. And the outlet also picked up on Brandi's frequent bikini posts,
pointing out that in several photos she could be spotted without her engagement ring.
By early 2020, TV Shows Ace reported that Jarrod was dating a bartender named Rachel Beckman,
who allegedly worked at The Rush Bar & Grill, which Schulz has owned since 2019.
Brandi, on the other hand, was busy hanging out with other guys,
at least according to her social media. And during the summer of 2020,
she finally confirmed to The Dad Diary that she and Schulz had been separated for two years.
With speculation having been building for quite some time, the news of the breakup
wasn't too shocking. But after seeing the couple bicker back-and-forth for nearly a decade on TV,
it seemed unimaginable that the two would ever go their separate ways.
According to Screen Rant, although they never married,
the parents of two used to refer to each other as their, quote, "life partner."
"The kids aren't going to college or anything, but, they ain't that smart anyways."
In 2016, both Brandi and Jarrod bragged about their kids' ambitions to the Inquirer.
At the time, their son, Cameron, had set his sights on the film industry and their daughter,
Peyton, had shifted her athletics focus from track-and-field to cheerleading. But
after the breakup, the family dynamic was altered completely. Brandi explained to The Daily Diary,
"Teenagers are tough, especially when you're doing it by yourself. […] I had
to ask a couple of times, you know, for just one simple little chore.
But if I had, like, the scary dad voice behind it, they would have done it the first time.
It's hard to, you know, have lived your whole life with your mom and dad and then just live
with your mom. […] I know they are going through a lot so I have to also tiptoe around that."
"Sometimes I gotta 'Mom' your a--, y'know, and you don't like it, sorry, but that's how this works."
Sounds like being the mother of two teens is a lot to handle as everyone adjusts to a new normal.
In January 2020, Brandi was in attendance when UFC fighter Conor McGregor fought Donald Cerrone
in Las Vegas. She posted images of along with her bestie Samantha Busch and her husband,
NASCAR racer Kyle "Rowdy" Busch, captioning her Instagram post,
"I'm mastering the art of being the third wheel. […] Also my RBF game is strong."
"I guess you can have your cake and eat it too."
Leading up to the global pandemic, Brandi was sharing loads of similar
snaps of outings with friends. When she posted a video of herself at an event in early 2020,
she referenced the Wizard of Oz theme when she wrote,
"Searching for a heart, a brain, [and] some courage, is exhausting."
It certainly seems like Brandi has found other buddies to accompany
her for late night shenanigans since her split from Jarrod.
"I just won the whole damn thing. Done." If you're only going by Brandi's Instagram feed,
it may seem like she doesn't spend much time with her kids. But in reality, there's nothing
further than the truth. In February 2020, she posted a rare photo of her daughter, explaining,
"I stopped posting photos of my babies. Because some creepy a--
dudes were harassing them. I am reluctantly posting this because I am so proud of how
beautiful my little is in her winter formal [outfit]. [...] Don't be gross."
That summer, Passante revealed to The Dad Diary,
"[My kids] don't want me to put them on social media at all, which I don't. I respect that. Plus,
you know, anytime I post anything, people say, like, gross things about my daughter or,
you know, just inappropriate stuff. And I don't want to expose them to that."
"I'm respecting their wishes so I don't put them on social media at all."
Brandi added that as a mother she wants to celebrate her kids' milestones on social media,
but understands she's fighting an uphill battle with online trolls.
This is probably why the reality star rarely shares details on
her kids' lives — even though she still lets fans in on occasion.
In 2020, when stay-at-home orders were enforced all across California during the global pandemic,
Brandi shared with her followers that she was getting her pantry prepped for lockdown, posting,
"The Rona got me loading up on essentials such as Costco size Makers."
"Sounds amazing."
But despite her efforts to social distance, Brandi revealed to The Dad Diary on June 28th, 2020 that
she had tested positive for COVID. She explained that the virus brought upon recurring headaches,
the loss of her sense of taste, and lingering congestion. She also said that Day 12, the day
of the interview, was the first time she felt like she had overcome most of her symptoms. She added,
"Today I woke up feeling pretty fantastic."
TV Shows Ace speculated that by mid July 2020, the former Storage Wars star had
fully recovered from the virus, noting that she would likely no longer be infectious,
when she posted what appeared to be another playful outing with a friend on July 18th, 2020.
"Hey ya'll, Brandi Passante here. Finally joining Cameo."
In 2020, Brandi officially joined Cameo — a platform where customers pay for a personalized
video message from a celebrity. The former A&E star announced the news on Instagram, writing,
"Hey friends, I finally joined Cameo. […] So, If you're looking for a personalized video,
for a special occasion, as a gift or just want a video from me. You can also request a DM."
A few days prior to New Year's Day in 2021,
Brandi tweeted out a new photo promoting her Cameo profile, writing,
"2021 has to be better right? […] Wish your loved ones a happy new year with a
personality video [featuring] me, and we'll forget 2020 together. Let's make a Cameo."
It almost seems like every time Brandi is active on social media,
she's posting another Instagram story that reveals yet another inappropriate
message from followers sliding into her DMs. She revealed to The Dad Diary
that she receives hundreds of dirty DM's on Instagram, on a daily basis.
But Brandi doesn't just sit back and take whatever these trolls are dishing. She calls the group,
quote, "keyboard gangsters" — or, users who access social media to send her explicit and offensive
messages. The Texas native explained that she publicly shares screenshots of the messages
so she doesn't have to be the one telling someone that what they're posting is rude. She said,
"[Instead of getting] in some weird argument with a stranger,
I put them out there, and then, I let everybody else tear them apart."
"I don't think we're even."
TV Shows Ace reported that when Brandi posted a
string of racy Instagram photos in a bikini it launched a whole lot
of buzzy chitchat on her platform. The outlet explained that one side claimed:
"Why would she post such a racy snapshot when she
claims she doesn't like having creeps in her inbox. Isn't that a bit hypocritical?"
But Brandi's supporters said she should feel free to post anything she wants,
with the outlet adding,
"[She] shouldn't have to worry about getting attacked by gross private messages
because she felt like sharing a [hot] picture."
"R.I.P., homie." 2020 was a difficult year on many levels,
but ultimately, tragedy hit home for Brandi. On October 26th, 2020, she shared a heartfelt
message on Instagram, revealing that her father had died. True to her own character, she wrote,
"I always smile when I think of you. I was most definitely a daddy's girl.
I can't think of a time that you ever got mad at me or yelled at me.
I absolutely used that to my advantage. I will miss you terribly.
Now if everyone I love could stop dying in such close proximity that would be great."
A few weeks later, Brandi posted a series
of family photos with her father from when she was a kid, writing,
"Laugh through the tears, they say, eventually the tears will fade."
But it appears Brandi also lost another loved one around the same time.
The week before her announcement about her late father, she shared a throwback photo, writing,
"I will miss your stories, your wisdom, your stellar taste in music,
[and] the constant laughter. You were the life of every party [and] the voice of
reason that will always ring in my ears." She may have an eye for making money off of
someone else's trash, but Brandi definitely has a heart for the community, as well. She has been
a champion for Women's Own Worth — also known as WOW — an organization whose mission states:
"[We empower] victims of domestic violence and survivors of violent
crime through supportive self-worth opportunities."
In 2019, Brandi helped WOW raise over $100,000 when she emceed its sixth
annual WOWpalooza event, according to The Saline Courier. She shared with the outlet,
"I have experienced some things in my life,
and it's a really wonderful cause. It's things that are needed."
"Cheers to that."
Ahead of the event, WOW founder and survivor Jajuan Archer told FOX 16,
"We are so honored that [Brandi] came and is doing this pro bono ."
In December 2020, Brandi continued to support WOW when she tweeted about how the organization was
looking to give away holiday gift cards to anyone who had been, quote, "impacted by violent crime."
It was all part of the foundation's ongoing initiative to better the lives of survivors,
and offer them hope for the future — a cause Brandi was more than happy to promote.
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