A Complete Timeline Of Brandi Passante And Jarrod Schulz's Relationship
For years, Brandi Passante and Jarrod Schulz were known as the oft-bickering couple on A&E's "Storage Wars." While the two didn't always seem to see eye-to-eye, many viewers were still surprised when Passante admitted in the show's Season 13 opener that she and Schulz had parted ways at least two years before the episode was filmed.
Since that point, it seems things between Passante and Schulz have continued to erode. Passante has been open about becoming a single mother to two teenagers, and it appears that Schulz has little if anything to do with the children. In a 2020 interview, she told "The Dad Diary" that "I have them all the time, 24/7 they're here with me."
Despite the fact that they were on a reality show, Passante and Schulz weren't always very public with the details of their relationship or their split. The two rarely post about their children or personal lives on social media. Here is everything we know about why the former couple broke up.
Brandi Passante and Jarrod Schulz met in 1999
Brandi Passante and Jarrod Schulz have a history that goes all the way back to 1999. Since that was a time before dating apps, the two actually met in a more or less old-fashioned way: at work! It turns out Passante got a job at the carpet-cleaning business where Schulz already worked. In an interview held during History Con (via the Philippine Daily Inquirer), Schulz claimed he was Passante's boss at the time, and a relationship between them was frowned upon. "A mutual friend put notes on my truck, reminding me to be nice to Brandi, because I could be abrasive," he recalls.
According to Passante, Schulz was the one who initiated their connection. "That was a process. He wore me down. He was persistent," she said in the interview. She did, however, admit to being charmed by him. "Obviously, I don't get by on my looks! So I gotta be witty. I have to do things to compensate," Schulz added.
Brandi and Jarrod have two children together
Brandi Passante and Jarrod Schulz are mom and dad to two kids, Payton and Cameron Schulz. The two are both fairly protective of their kids and don't often mention them directly in interviews or on TV. However, in 2021, Passante was interviewed by "The Dad Diary" and revealed that both Payton and Cameron have battled pretty significant challenges.
Passante shared that their daughter Payton was born deaf and with a cleft palate and that she underwent successful surgery when she was only 6 weeks old. "For years, she would be really quiet, until she started cheerleading," Passante explained in the interview. "I think that was kind of life-changing for her. She became more confident, and you could actually start to hear her voice." Additionally, their son, Cameron, missed three months of school when a mass on his kidney began to cause issues, but he ultimately recovered.
Brandi and Jarrod joined Storage Wars in 2010
Brandi Passante and Jarrod Schulz's big break happened in 2010 when the two were added to the cast of the first season of "Storage Wars." At the time, the pair were co-owners of a thrift store in Orange, California called Now and Then, per Online Storage Auctions. Passante and Schulz soon became fan favorites on the show.
Now and Then actually ended up being the reason Passante and Schulz were on the show in the first place. The two typically stocked their store by bidding on storage units, and were in the process of doing exactly that when Schulz met producers from "Storage Wars." He told The Orange County Register that producers were nearly immediately interested in Passante, saying, "They asked me, 'Who's the girl up front? Would she mind being on TV?'" One thing led to another, and eventually, the two became mainstays on the show.
Their 2014 show, Brandi & Jarrod: Married to the Job, was canceled after one season
One potential snag in the relationship between Brandi Passante and Jarrod Schulz that could have led to their breakup was when they attempted to star in their own "Storage Wars" spin-off show titled "Brandi and Jarrod: Married to the Job" in 2014. Unfortunately, the show was canceled after only one season on the air (via IMDb). The launch of the show came after the pair's failed attempt at opening a second thrift store in Long Beach, California, which closed the same year (via Online Storage Auction).
The first and only season of "Married to the Job" had a total of eight episodes, all of which aired between August and September 2014. As ScreenRant noted in June 2021, while the name of the show might have implied to viewers that Passante and Schulz were married, the reality is that the two never legally tied the knot.
Jarrod Schulz was aggressive toward Brandi Passante after their breakup
Season 13 of "Storage Wars" premiered in 2021, and with it came the news that Passante and Schulz had broken up for good. Passante herself delivered the news on the first episode of the season, simply stating, "I'm not with Jarrod anymore." Schulz was later filmed commenting on the separation as well, explaining to cameras that no longer being in a relationship isn't reason enough to no longer work on the show. As he put it, "Just because me and Brandi aren't together anymore doesn't mean we can't go to an auction — but separately" (via People).
The former couple inevitably ran into one another when they both attended the same auction. Schulz even outbid Passante on a storage unit she was eyeing and admitted to the cameras that knowing his ex was bidding on a unit was motivation enough to do the same.
In 2020, Brandi Passante revealed she was parenting her kids solo
While speaking to "The Dad Diary" in 2020, Brandi Passante made several claims implying that Jarrod Schulz was not maintaining an active role in the lives of their children. She told viewers that she'd been a single mom for a while, saying that "I did a lot of it on my own anyway, but it's the scary dad voice in the background that we're missing."
In a separate interview in the same year, Passante admitted to "Spirit Talk" that when it comes to dating, she hasn't really explored her options. While this might be in part because her children are home with her all of the time, she also explained that after ending her relationship with Schulz, she realized it was time to form an identity and figure out who she is. She added, "I just don't have an attachment to anyone. I've definitely dated and things like that, but ... right now it's not something I'm really trying hard to seek out. I'm waiting until I can feel an attachment to someone."
By her own admission, it's clear that Passante felt that Schulz wasn't a positive person to have in the home with herself and her children.
Jarrod Schulz was charged with domestic violence in 2021
Things between Brandi Passante and Jarrod Schulz were never particularly known for being smooth, and the pair reportedly split up after filming the 12th season of the "Storage Wars" reality show (via People).
In May 2021, numerous outlets revealed that Schulz had been accused of domestic violence against Passante. As noted by TMZ, Passante was at a bar in Orange County, California, when Schulz showed up and the two got into a verbal disagreement. Passante told Schulz that he needed to leave, but he supposedly refused, and at some point he reportedly pushed Passante, prompting someone in the party to call the police. By the time the cops showed up, Schulz had already left the premises. Despite the fact that Schulz denied this version of events, authorities arrested him and charged him with one count of misdemeanor domestic violence battery (per TMZ).