What Is Brandi Passante From Storage Wars Doing Today?
From well-known storage hunter to charity giver, survivor, and... podcaster?! Brandi Passante's doing more than just going treasure hunting every week. Here's what she's been up to today!
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00:00From well-known storage hunter to charity giver, survivor, and podcaster, Brandi Passante
00:06is doing more than just going treasure hunting every week. Here's what she's been up to today.
00:12Brandi Passante and her co-star-slash-boyfriend Jared Schultz welcomed two kids, Peyton and
00:17Cameron, before their stint on Storage Wars. While her success meant more money to provide
00:22for her kids, it resulted in unwanted attention from the public. According to Passante, her
00:27rise to stardom was an anxiety-filled one. As her popularity on the show grew, she'd
00:32find herself in uncomfortable situations whenever she'd step out in public. Passante told Lifetime,
00:37This may come as a surprise to some people, but I'm actually a very shy person. I even
00:42get anxiety when I have to go out to the store or to the gas station because I'm afraid of
00:46people approaching me."
00:48Safe to say, this passed down to her children, as she revealed that they're also not fans
00:52of the limelight. Outside of their brief appearances on Storage Wars and their short-lived
00:57spinoff Brandi and Jared, Married to the Job, not much is known about her two children.
01:02On February 22, 2020, Passante posted a picture of Peyton on Instagram with the caption,
01:08I stopped posting pictures of my babies because some creepy a---- dudes were harassing them.
01:14Brandi Passante met Jared Schultz while working at a carpet-cleaning company in 1999. Much
01:19like their banter-filled relationship, the two seemingly have different perspectives
01:23on who came on to who first, according to the Orange County Register. Nonetheless, their
01:28effortless interactions with each other made fans believe Brandi and Jared were endgame.
01:34Unfortunately, on the 13th season premiere of Storage Wars, Passante revealed that as
01:39of 2018, the two are no longer an item. In the episode, Passante stated,
01:44I'm not with Jared anymore.
01:46Schultz believed this wouldn't be an issue in their auctioning endeavors as long as they
01:50didn't cross paths. Although their spinoff show suggested that they would get married,
01:54the two never tied the knot. Through his Instagram, it became apparent that Schultz seamlessly
01:59moved on as he began to post selfies with his girlfriend, Rachel Beckman. Passante revealed
02:03that she's not only taking her time adjusting to the single life after 19 years, but taking
02:09on the responsibility of being a single mother as well. As she told Danny Jordan on The Dad
02:14Diary,
02:15I talk to them all the time, 24-7. They're here with me, so I have to navigate that."
02:20Jared Schultz seemingly took no time jumping into another relationship after splitting
02:24with Brandi Passante. Although Passante's Instagram may suggest that she's actively
02:29dating, the A&E alumni stated that she's not looking to get into any relationships.
02:34During her appearance on Spirit Talk, hosted by Siobhan and Sabrina, Passante described
02:39herself as being, quote, "...emotionally dead inside." Despite the harsh words, she expressed
02:44an essential need to focus on her well-being, telling Siobhan and Sabrina,
02:48I wasn't really allowed to have an identity for many, many years, and so these last couple
02:54of years I'm kind of coming into my own and figuring out who I am."
02:58While this may seem unfortunate, Passante revealed that her therapist stated that this
03:02is only temporary. Siobhan and Sabrina seemed to share that same notion, as they revealed
03:06that their readings indicate that she will meet somebody very soon.
03:10It's coming in the next few years, and it's very unexpected. Not somebody you would normally
03:15be attracted to and beautiful eyes."
03:18Siobhan then added that this person would not only shower her with love, but he would
03:22also be someone of status. Aside from her matter-of-fact personality, Passante appeared
03:27very hopeful after hearing the good news.
03:30The sometimes tense animosity between each of the enthusiastic bidders on Storage Wars
03:35seemingly spilled into their real life. According to Brandy, she wasn't close to those on the
03:40show. She even went as far as to express her dislike towards Dave Hester during her appearance
03:45on the Happening Now with Hammer podcast. When Hammer asked if that was one of her favorite
03:50co-stars, she responded,
03:51"...and I don't think that that's a secret, um…"
03:55Hester's been notorious for appearing as the show's main antagonist, and according to Passante,
03:59he didn't care for masquerading as a nice guy. Although she may not get along with the
04:04uncivil treasure hunter, she did reveal that she's still in touch with Barry Weiss and
04:08Kenny Crossley. In an interview with Inquirer.net, Passante and Jared suggested that they remained
04:13good friends with Weiss following their departure in 2014, saying,
04:17"...we like Barry. We've kept in touch. We see him a few times a year. We hang out."
04:22As for Kenny Crossley, Passante revealed that they remained good friends, stating he's one
04:27of her, quote, "...favorite humans."
04:30Outside of her treasure-hunting endeavors, Brandi Passante made it known that mental
04:34health is vital. Amid her ever-growing popularity, Brandi revealed that the amount of attention
04:38she was getting caused her great stress and anxiety, saying,
04:42"...I did have to have a little bit of therapy about it. I didn't like to leave the house
04:46for quite some time. But I'm good now."
04:48It's safe to assume that Passante became involved in helping others due to her own mental struggles.
04:54If you were to take a brief look at her Instagram, you'd see several posts of the charities she's
04:58participated in. From promoting the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention on Instagram
05:03to emceeing a Women's Own Worth event, Passante has had her hands full trying to give back
05:08to organizations she seemingly cares about.
05:11According to The Saline Courier, 2019's Wowapalooza saw the organization raise over $100,000 with
05:17the help of Passante. Driven by pure intentions, Passante revealed that the organization was
05:22skeptical about having her emcee the event due to her celebrity status. However, the
05:28Storage Wars reality star had no problem helping out for free, saying,
05:31"...I have experienced some things in my life and it's a really wonderful cause. It's things
05:36that are needed, so I wanted to help in any way possible."
05:40Helping to raise $100,000 for a charity event revolving around domestic violence was more
05:46than just an act of goodwill from the A&E alumni herself. On Instagram, Passante revealed
05:51she is a survivor of domestic abuse. In 2021, she unveiled a meaningful hand tattoo that
05:57read,
05:58"...free."
05:59Passante penned a lengthy caption explaining its meaning, writing,
06:02"...to me, it means that somehow, by the grace of God, I managed to escape a very difficult
06:07situation that so many people fall victim to. I will be eternally grateful for the life
06:12and freedom without fear that I get to live now."
06:15Although she never specified who this was about, many of her followers believe this
06:19may be a callback to Jared Schultz's alleged domestic abuse charge in May of the same year.
06:25According to TMZ,
06:26Schultz and Passante got into an argument that resulted in Schultz pushing her twice
06:30in front of her friends. The two at the time were broken up and seemed to have moved on
06:34from their 19-year-long relationship. However, they seemingly built up tension that may have
06:39reawakened amid their appearance together on the set of the 13th season of Storage Wars.
06:442020 was a year filled with uncertainty for not just us, but for Brandi Passante. Along
06:50with contracting COVID-19, the reality star seemingly lost tight-knit family members throughout
06:55the year.
06:56On October 26th, 2020, Brandi Passante took to Instagram to announce that her father had
07:01passed away. By quoting Neil Young's Angels Flying Too Close to the Ground, the daddy's
07:07girl acknowledged her father's kind soul while declaring that she's tired of 2020 being a
07:12year filled with grief, writing,
07:14"...I can't think of a time that you ever got mad at me or yelled at me. I absolutely
07:19used that to my advantage. I will miss you terribly. Now if everyone I love could stop
07:23dying in such close proximity, that would be great. For her father, it seemed like this
07:27was a long-winded battle."
07:29During her appearance on Spirit Talk, hosted by Siobhan and Sabrina, she revealed that
07:34her father had faced several medical hardships for 35 years before his passing, revealing,
07:39"...he had rheumatoid arthritis, he had osteoporosis, he got liver cancer, so many things. He ended
07:45up dying of lung cancer."
07:48As a result of several diagnoses, her father was seemingly depressed. A revelation that
07:52Siobhan picked up on during her reading, while the loss may still be fresh in her head, the
07:57two revealed that he is watching over her, reassuring Pisante that he loved her dearly.
08:03Is it much of a surprise that the TV personality herself hopped on the podcasting bandwagon?
08:08Given Brandi Pisante's sharp-wittedness, most would assume she'd fit right in with the Joe
08:12Rogans and the Andrew Schultzes of the world. According to Hammer and Troy from the Happening
08:17Now with Hammer podcast, they seem to carry that same notion. On June 24, 2021, she made
08:23her first appearance on the show, though it seemed like she was merely a guest. Hammer
08:27opens up the episode by suggesting that Pisante may become a regular on the podcast. Before
08:32discussing several topics regarding her journey to Storage Wars, Hammer stated,
08:37"...we have a new friend of ours that's going to be joining us periodically, hopefully more
08:42often than not."
08:44Fortunately, Brandi Pisante became a regular on the show, starring in almost every weekly
08:48episode since her first appearance. Despite Hammer jokingly having a different take on
08:53how they met, the two met at a dive bar. Their friendship presumably reached the point where
08:57they trusted Pisante enough to be a dedicated co-host. On her Instagram, you could see her
09:02promote the podcast alongside posting quirky selfies of them hanging out.
09:07As for the podcast, topics discussed on the show range from weird holiday traditions to
09:12only-fans stories. As fans of Storage Wars, Hammer and Alex even had Don and Laura Dotson,
09:17Kenny Crossley, and Lisa DeLarios on their podcast.
09:22Despite her prolonged break from reality television, the matter-of-fact buyer herself returned
09:27to Storage Wars for its 13th season. Brandi Pisante said her return to the show was out
09:32of sheer boredom. Aside from her other endeavors, it seems that Pisante hasn't fed into her
09:36passion for treasure hunting in quite some time. Her long-awaited return to real-life
09:41TV saw her reunite with Barry Weiss, Kenny Crossley, Dan and Laura Dotson, and her ex-boyfriend
09:47Jared Schultz.
09:48Pisante, who was slightly uncomfortable being on set with Schultz, tried to avoid him. However,
09:53this was short-lived, as the 13th season premiere saw the two run into each other at an auction.
09:58Though they may have preferred to stay as far from each other as possible, it didn't
10:01take long for them to make wisecracks at each other's expense.
10:04Although it took some time for the cast members to get back into the swing of things, Pisante
10:09assured fans that this didn't stop them from producing a great season, telling Pop Culture
10:13in 2021,
10:14"...From what I hear, this season is shaping up to be one of the funniest seasons."
10:19While fans were ecstatic about Brandi's return to Storage Wars, they couldn't help but notice
10:23that she sounded a lot different from what they remembered. According to Pisante, this
10:28is due to a rare autoimmune disorder. When asked about her scratchy voice on Instagram,
10:33Pisante responded,
10:34"...I have Hashimoto's disease, an autoimmune disease that affects my thyroid. Sometimes
10:39it makes my throat raspy."
10:40According to the Mayo Clinic, Hashimoto's disease halts the production of hormones our
10:44thyroid produces. While the disorder can cause several alarming health issues like reproductive
10:50dysfunction and cardiovascular diseases, it seems that Pisante's only apparent symptom
10:55is a scratchy voice.
10:56Despite being affected by a rare autoimmune disorder, it seems that Pisante still leads
11:01a healthy life nonetheless. She's seemingly doing well, as the disease hasn't prevented
11:05her from returning to Storage Wars and continuing her co-hosting duties on her podcast.
11:10If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National
11:14Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. You can also find more information, resources,
11:21and support at their website.