Amber Rasmussen and Athena Klingerman, two women who met after enduring abuse by the same man, banded together to create a podcast to tell women one thing: don’t date Brandon Johnson. Now, their story and the Washington native’s long history of troubling behavior toward women going back more than two decades is being explored in a new Paramount+ docuseries, Don’t Date Brandon.
The three-part series chronicles Rasmussen and Klingerman’s experiences with Johnson, whom the former compares to a “hurricane” on the show, and how their podcast, Ex-Wives Undcover, helped stop Johnson and give a voice to those who had survived him, People reported.
Read on for more about the docuseries, what happened in real life, and where Johnson is now.
Rasmussen and Klingerman discovered they had very similar experiences with Johnson
Johnson and Klingerman met on Match.com in 2007, per People. The couple welcomed their daughter Sydney two years later, and in 2011, Johnson and Klingerman got married. Klingerman said on Don’t Date Brandon that their relationship started to sour a few weeks later, and it was revealed that Johnson was cheating on her and mistreated her daughter, Lexus, from a previous relationship.
When Klingerman tried to end the marriage, she claimed in the docuseries that Johnson refused to move out of their home and threatened suicide, People reported. Klingerman and Johnson divorced in 2012.
A year later, Johnson met Rasmussen on Tinder, according to The Sacramento Bee. He proposed in January 2014 and the couple got married in May 2017. Like Klingerman, Rasmussen started to wonder about Johnson’s questionable behavior, including claims he made that he had leukemia. On Don’t Date Brandon, Rasmussen said Johnson never allowed her to go to treatment or doctor visits with her, prompting her suspicions.
Rasmussen later learned that Johnson was using dating apps to talk to other women and went as far as pretending to be Klingerman on a shared family app to manipulate the two women, People reported. Rasmussen eventually decided to reach out to Klingerman, and when the two women exchanged stories, they realized they’d gone through very similar things with Johnson.
Johnson allegedly threatened to kill himself and Klingerman after Rasmussen asked for a divorce
After looking into Johnson, the women discovered that the Washington native’s violent history with women stretched far beyond their relationships with him. In 1992, when Johnson was a student at Aberdeen High School in Washington, the Washington native started dating a classmate named Kelly. Soon thereafter, Johnson allegedly became controlling and possessive, Kelly said on Don’t Date Brandon.
“There was times when I really wanted to be just with my friends, but that wasn’t allowed,” she said in the docuseries, per People. “He always wanted to be there.”
Rasmussen and Klingerman discovered Johnson’s record, which includes three charges of domestic violence and one of entrapment. For the latter, he got a suspended sentence, according to The Sacramento Bee.
After Rasmussen told Johnson that she wanted a divorce on Valentine’s Day 2019, Johnson allegedly threatened to kill Klingerman and himself, Rasmussen said on Don’t Date Brandon. Shortly afterward, Johnson was arrested and charged with unlawful imprisonment and threatening to kill Klingerman, and a court ordered him to stay away from both women for five years, People reported.
Johnson stayed away for a few weeks, disappearing from Rasmussen’s and Klingerman’s lives before he reappeared at Sydney’s school. She got into his car and secretly texted Klingerman, who recounted on Don’t Date Brandon that she immediately contacted the police. Police then found Johnson, and a high-speed chase ensued. Later, police backed off, as they feared for Sydney’s safety and Johnson got away. He eventually left Sydney at a local pizza restaurant and Klingerman picked her up.
Klingerman and Rasmussen created a podcast, Ex-Wives Undercover, to protect women from Johnson
Klingerman and Rasmussen created Ex-Wives Undercover in 2020 to share their stories and protect women from Johnson.
“What started as two women trying to make sense of their trauma turned into something so much bigger,” Rasmussen told the Portland Tribune. “We turned our pain into purpose, and if that helps protect even one person, then we’ve done what we set out to do.”
Ex-Wives Undercover also gave a voice to more alleged victims, including a woman named Rachel, who Johnson started dating in March 2021. When she tried to end the relationship, he refused and allegedly placed listening devices in her home and a GPS tracker on her son’s car, friends of Rachel said on Don’t Date Brandon, according to People.
Rachel was granted a protective order prohibiting Johnson from contacting her in 2022. But it wasn’t enough to keep him away from her, People reported. He allegedly broke into her home a few weeks later in the middle of the night, threatened her and sexually assaulted her. About a month later, on March 11, 2022, Johnson returned to Rachel’s home. She was in her bedroom with a friend named Austin when Johnson broke in armed with a taser and knife. Video footage shows Johnson attacking Rachel and Austin.
Austin was able to overpower Johnson long enough for Rachel to call 911. Johnson tried to escape while being handcuffed by authorities and he was tased by police. They found handcuffs in his car and duct tape hidden inside his jacket.
Including Rasmussen, Klingerman and Rachel, Johnson has reportedly victimized at least six women in three different states, The Sacramento Bee reported.
Johnson is serving a 10-year sentence at a state prison in California
Johnson was charged with assault and attempted kidnapping with the intent to commit rape in Rachel’s case in 2023. He is now serving a 10-year sentence at a state prison in California, The Sacramento Bee reported. Following a separate criminal proceeding from 2019, Johnson also admitted to 10 counts of first-degree attempted theft for stealing $392,000 from his former employer, HTC. For that case, a judge sentenced Johnson to 36 months in prison to be served alongside his 10-year sentence.
Johnson also agreed to be registered as a sex offender in California, where he abused Rachel, for life under the terms of his plea deal.
Johnson will be eligible for parole in May 2027. In Don’t Date Brandon, he claims many of the allegations against him are fabricated.
“Looking back over the years, I wish the legal system had stepped in to offer me more help. Seeing a pattern of off-the-wall behavior, the most that ever happened was fines,” he wrote to The Sacramento Bee in January 2023.
Don’t Date Brandon is available for streaming on Paramount+.