‘Storage Wars’ Cast Opens Up About Cyberbullying, and They’re Not the Only Reality Stars Dealing With the Problem
Cyberbullying may have played a role in the death of Storage Wars star Darrell Sheets, his former castmates say.
Sheets died by suicide on April 22. Soon after, Rene Nezhoda, who appeared with Sheets on the A&E reality series, said that his co-star had become the target of a relentless cyberbully. Police in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where Sheets lived, have said they are investigating those claims. In Facebook posts apparently made by Sheets before his death, he said that he’d been “hacked by a very evil person” who had been bullying him for the past three years.
“His family told us that this has been happening for three years,” Storage Wars star Laura Dotson told Us Weekly. “[It happens to] even strong men that you think aren’t gonna get their feelings hurt. Cyberbullying is a real thing. This made him feel less than, and it really obviously bothered him.”
TLC star almost quit TV because of online bullying
Sheets’ issues with online harassment are sadly not unique. Other reality TV stars have spoken out about being targeted.
In a 2024 episode of TLC’s My Big Fat Fabulous Life, someone egged star Whitney Way Thore’s house and left an insulting note on her door. She said it wasn’t the first time the frequent online bullying she experienced had spilled over into real life.
“That’s the first time something like that’s happened on TV,” Thore told Showbiz Cheat Sheet at the time. “But, it’s actually not the first time things like this have happened to me while we weren’t in production. I’ve had bricks thrown through car windows, people break into my parents’ house. I was on a hit list – the FBI got involved. … It’s absolutely terrifying.”
“I’ve been doing this for 10 years now,” she said. “So I’ve read everything you can possibly imagine that people say about me or to me or whatever,” she continued, adding that the comments got worse after her beloved mother died. The bullying severely affected her mental health.
“For a time there I was close to suicidal over it,” she said. “And I didn’t think I was going to do any more TV.”
Bravo alum Ariana Madix says people sometimes ‘forget that you are a real person’
Last year, Love Island USA producers pleaded with people to stop bullying the show’s cast online. And during the show’s 2024 reunion, host Ariana Madix spoke to the cast about navigating audience reaction online.
“I know you guys have gotten both a lot of love and a lot of negativity as well,” the Vanderpump Rules alum said. “I’ve been through it. I’ve gotten it plenty. And when you are in a position like this, sometimes people can see you as a character on a TV show and they forget that you are a real person, with a real life and real friends and family.”
More recently, Summer House’s Kyle Cooke has said his ex-wife Amanda Batula has been getting a torrent of online hate after going public with her relationship with West Wilson.
“I understand people have all sorts of opinions, and I’m not justifying any behavior,” he said in a video shared on TikTok. “But from where I’m standing, she’s kind of getting cyber-bullied.”
How to get help: In the U.S., call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor at the free Crisis Text Line.
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