Whatever Happened To Brandon Johnson? Inside Life After Don’t Date Brandon
Paramount+ blows open Brandon Johnson’s past in Don't Date Brandon, as two ex-wives allege a web of abuse, fraud, and deception — leaving one burning question: where is he now?
Paramount+ just dropped a new doc called 'Don't Date Brandon,' where two of Brandon Johnson's ex-wives lay out a gnarly web of abuse, lies, and straight-up scams. The big question everyone has after watching it: where is Brandon Johnson now? Short answer: in a California prison, serving a 10-year sentence.
Who is Brandon Johnson, according to the doc?
Johnson was born to Barbara Tolomei in the late 1970s and grew up with his mom in Aberdeen, Washington. The red flags started early. He got his first restraining order at 19, back in 1997, and the documentary reaches even further back to a high school relationship from 1992 with a girlfriend named Kelly, who says he was already controlling back then.
"There were times when I really wanted to be just with my friends, but that wasn't allowed. He always wanted to be there."
The allegations are... a lot
In the film and in later reporting, his exes say he faked just about everything: cancer, degrees, jobs, even his own death. There are at least 17 protective orders tied to him from women in over three states. Yes, that is as wild as it sounds.
How it all spiraled, step by step
- 1992: High school relationship with Kelly, who recalls him being possessive and controlling.
- 1997: Receives his first restraining order at age 19.
- 2007: Meets Athena Klingerman (future wife #1) on Match.com.
- 2009: They have a daughter.
- 2011: Johnson and Klingerman marry.
- 2012: Divorce finalized after allegations he mistreated Klingerman's older daughter from a previous relationship and refused to move out after allegedly cheating.
- 2013: Meets Amber Rasmussen (future wife #2) on Tinder.
- January 2014: Proposes to Rasmussen.
- 2017: They marry. She says he claimed to have leukemia but never let her attend doctor visits.
- By the time the exes compare notes: According to the Sacramento Bee, they discover he previously received a suspended sentence tied to three domestic violence charges and one count described as entrapment (and yes, that label is unusual).
- 2020: Klingerman and Rasmussen launch the 'Ex-Wives Undercover' podcast.
- 2021: A woman named Rachel contacts them after her own experience dating Johnson, with similar stories.
- 2023: He is charged with assault and attempted kidnapping with the intent to commit rape. He reportedly pleads guilty.
- Now: Per the Sacramento Bee, he is serving a 10-year prison sentence in California.
So where is he right now?
Locked up in California, doing 10 years for the 2023 case involving assault and attempted kidnapping with intent to commit rape. The documentary connects the dots on how years of alleged manipulation and fraud finally caught up with him.
If you watch the doc
Be ready for a lot of jaw-droppers: the alleged fake cancer storyline, the overlapping relationships, and the sheer number of protective orders. It is a disturbing portrait, and the women at the center do not hold back.