‘American Pickers’ Fans Weigh in on Frank Fritz and Mike Wolfe’s Feud

American Pickers stars Frank Fritz and Mike Wolfe are no longer on speaking terms, and fans are frustrated with the way Fritz was treated. Fritz has not appeared on the series since March 2020 and has called out Wolfe for not speaking to him after his recent health problems. Wolfe and the History Channel responded by confirming Fritz is not coming back. American Pickers debuted in 2010 and featured Wolfe and Fritz traveling the country together to find antiques for Wolfe’s Antique Archaeology stores in LeClaire, Iowa and Nashville.

Fritz first spoke out about his relationship with Wolfe in a July 19 interview with The Sun. At the time, he said he hadn’t spoken to Wolfe in two years. “He knew my back was messed up, but he didn’t call me up and ask how I was doing. That’s just how it is,” Fritz told the outlet. He said he was now feeling healthy after losing 65 pounds and getting sober, although he suffers from Crohn’s Disease.

After Fritz’s interview with The Sun, sources told TMZ it was unlikely that Fritz will ever return to the show. On July 21, Wolfe and History confirmed he would not be coming back. “I have known Frank for as long as I can remember, he’s been like a brother to me,” Wolfe wrote. “The journey that Frank, Dani, and I started back in 2009, like all of life, has come with its highs and lows, blessings and challenges, but it has also been the most rewarding.”
Wolfe added that he will “miss” his costar. “I will miss Frank, just like all of you, and I pray for the very best and all good things for him on the next part of his journey,” he told fans.

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Fritz didn’t think Wolfe’s comments were genuine. “Mike’s statement was bulls—, somebody wrote it out for him,” he told The Sun on Aug. 4. “We were never friends in grade school. I don’t believe in 10 years he’s said five nice things to me, you know? Unless he was cutting somebody else down and we were both laughing.”

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The former History Channel star insisted he was telling the truth in July when he said Wolfe never contacted him about his health. “I’m not a liar just for the fact that my brain can’t remember if I lied or not,” he told The Sun. “I don’t lie to people, even if it hurts. If it hurts your feelings, I’m sorry. If you don’t like me anymore, that’s your problem.”

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Despite this situation with Wolfe, Fritz told The Sun he would be willing to return to American Pickers if History wanted him. If that never happens, he thinks he should still be on television. “Thousands of people want me back, they’ve got a petition to get me back on the show,” Fritz told The Sun. “I could go either way and find a new show, have something new, and have just as much fun. That’s what it’s all about, being satisfied with yourself and having a little bit of fun.”

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While Wolfe has not commented further on the situation, Danielle Colby, who continues to star on American Pickers and runs Wolfe’s office, voiced support for Wolfe. She was “truly saddened” that Fritz left the show, she wrote on Aug. 2.

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“It is not my place to speak ill of someone who needs help so I will keep my comments uplifting,” Colby wrote. “I’m sending love to everyone. The only reason I’m speaking to this right now is because everybody is speculating on my words and my words are being taken out of context in tabloid rags because they can’t interview me because I will not interview with a tabloid rag. So if you wanna know how I feel. Here’s exactly how I feel. I hope everybody gets well. I hope everybody continues to love each other even through the hard s—.”

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“Lots of drama going on with [American Pickers],” one fan wrote. “The show hasn’t been good without Frank. Frank and Mike were always best together. Never cared for [it] when it was Frank and somebody else or Mike and somebody else. I won’t be watching the show again now that Frank is gone. Shame.”