Brandi Passante and Jarrod Schulz Recently Ran Into Each Other and Things Got Ugly
Updated May 17 2021, 1:07 p.m. ET
As one of the most popular duos appearing on Storage Wars, Jarrod Schulz and Brandi Passante rose to fame with their eccentric relationship dynamic and frequent bickering over which storage units make for the best investments. But as Jarrod and Brandi revealed during the Season 13 premiere of Storage Wars, their relationship is now officially over — and they will no longer be bidding together as a team. Here's what happened.
Jarrod and Brandi kept their breakup a secret for nearly three years.
Jarrod and Brandi gained popularity with their entertaining, albeit tense conversations captured on Storage Wars. Nicknamed the "Young Guns," they firmly cemented themselves as expert-level buyers with great hunches.
And, as any Storage Wars fan would tell you, their near-constant back-and-forths became both a part of their appeal, and arguably, the key to their success. As Jarrod and Brandi shared in the Season 13 premiere, however, they are no longer together.
Jarrod and Brandi chose to keep their breakup a secret for more than two years, having parted ways in 2018. Although they never got married, they share two kids: Payton and Cameron. As long-term business partners, they relied on each other for day-to-day tasks. And as media personalities, they built an entire brand that rested on their appearances on Storage Wars.
Jarrod made things Facebook-official with Rochel Beckman in January 2020.
Although they may have waited for the public announcement, neither Jarrod nor Brandi went the extra mile to keep their breakup tightly under wraps. In January 2020, Jarrod revealed that he had a new girlfriend: Rochel Beckman, in a Facebook post. It appears that Rochel prefers to keep a low profile.
Why did Jarrod and Brandi break up? Here's what Brandi had to say.
In several interviews, Brandi spoke about how her life as a businesswoman and a mother-of-two changed after she and Jarrod parted ways. In June 2020, she gave an interview to close friend, producer, and the blogger behind The Dad Diaries, Danny Jordan. In February 2021, Brandi spoke about the split and its repercussions during an appearance on Spirit Talk Hosted by Shavaun and Sabrina.
In the interview with The Dad Diaries, Brandi opened up about the difficulties she had to face while raising adolescents Cameron and Payton.
"They're teenagers. Emotions run high. It's hard to have lived your whole life with your mom and dad and then just live with your mom," she told The Dad Diaries. "It's been two years. I know they're going through a lot and I have to tiptoe around that so that they are able to heal themselves and navigate their own way through this."
During her appearance on Spirit Talk, Brandi shared how the breakup had affected her. As she revealed, building herself up again wasn't easy.
"I wasn't really allowed to have an identity for many, many years. And so these last couple of years I'm kind of coming into my own and figuring out who I am. I just don't have an attachment to anyone," she said.
Brandi has said that even though it's been about three years, things with Jarrod are still tense. She exclusively told Distractify, "Luckily, I don't run into him that often. It's been about three years since we broke up and I would like to say that it was a little nicer than it is but it's not. It is a little tense but we seem to get through it."
Recently, things between Brandi and Jarrod got pretty messy.
According to TMZ, Jarrod allegedly assaulted Brandi during a recent interaction when they ran into each other at a bar. Sources for the publication claim that Brandi was drinking in Orange County, Calif. on April 30 when Jarrod showed up and a heated exchange unfolded. When Brandi told Jarrod to leave for making a scene, he seemingly pushed her twice and engaged in further verbal altercations with her and her friends.
The report went on to say that Jarrod allegedly left the scene before police could arrive, but later defended himself to them and claimed he had never laid a hand on Brandi. Nonetheless, the Orange County DA's Office is charging Jarrod with a single count of misdemeanor domestic violence battery. A court date hasn't been revealed and neither Jarrod nor his representation has commented on the issue yet.
Although Brandi and Jarrod clearly have a complicated relationship and are apart in real life, as of now they are both still set to appear on Storage Wars. Ready to witness some heated bidding?
Catch new episodes of Storage Wars every Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST on A&E.
