Fans of Discovery's Gold Rush have become evermore curious by the absence of Brennan Ruault in recent seasons, leading them to wonder what happened to him.
Ruault boarded Gold Rush in Season 6 and joined Parker Schnabel's crew mining in Yukon, Canada. He spent much of his time working with excavators on the hunt for gold with the crew.
Why Did Brennan Leave Gold Rush?
The beginning of the end for Brennan Ruault on Gold Rush came in Season 12 when he left Parker Schnabel's crew to join Rick Ness' mining adventures.
During the Season 12 premiere (via Distractify), Ruault explained to Ness that he left Schnabel behind as they "[started] butting heads a little bit more in the last few years:"
“You know, Parker and I just seemed to, for some reason, start butting heads a little bit more in the last few years, and it’s just made it quite tough and draining at the end of the day.”
Ruault may well have found himself a new gig under Rick Ness for Season 12, but that would, unfortunately, prove shortlived for the mining reality TV star.
After Gold Rush Season 12, Ness took some time away from both mining and the spotlight. He departed the series for Season 13 due to his mental health as he began suffering from seasonal affective disorder (read more about Rick Ness' recent struggles).
While Ness made a comeback to Gold Rush in Season 14, he shocked many viewers as he did not reunite Team Rally for his return, but instead formed a new crew altogether, for which Ruault was seemingly not recruited.
Ness' break from mining left Ruault and the rest of Team Rally searching for new work. As Ruault is seemingly still working in the mining world, it's likely he found himself new work during that time which is not covered in Gold Rush.
What Is Gold Rush's Brennan Doing Now?
Brennan Ruault announced on Instagram in November 2023 that he has partnered with Mammoth Gold Nuggets to launch "Brennan's Klondike Gold Rush Pay Dirt Bag." These packages contain gold that he himself mined during the 2023 mining season and come in various sizes.
While Ruault has still been mining based on his Instagram, he confirmed in a recent post that he has recently undergone surgery to remove his appendix after waking up in "brutal pain" during the night.
What the future holds for Ruault and whether he could ever return to Gold Rush remains unclear, but the mining star remains active on Instagram and keeps his followers up to date on his latest life events.
New episodes of Gold Rush Season 15 debut on Discovery Channel every Friday at 8 p.m. ET.
