In the years leading up to the death of American Pickers star Frank Fritz, there were numerous reports that he and his long-time friend and co-star Mike Wolfe were feuding.
The two had known each other for four decades. Together, they created the wildly popular History Channel show and supported each other through life’s highs and lows – both publicly and privately.
But in Fritz’s final years, their brotherly-like relationship became marred with claims of a spectacular fallout behind the scenes.
Rumors started to swirl after Fritz was mysteriously dropped from the program they had brought to life. He then went on to claim that he had been iced out by Wolfe, all while his health deteriorated quietly in the background.
The pair ‘made up’ and Fritz died September 30, 2024, aged 60 following a stroke.
Almost two years have passed since the television personality’s passing and Wolfe, 61, wants to set the record straight.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, he revealed his deep sadness at how their friendship was painted in the media and explained why he stayed silent instead of correcting the headlines.
‘I want people to know – and he would want people to know – that we loved each other like brothers,’ he said, adding that his time with Fritz as a ‘once in a lifetime friendship.’
Mike Wolfe has insisted that he and his late friend Frank Fritz loved each other like brothers
Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail, Wolfe set the record straight on his friendship with Fritz
American Pickers was an idea that Wolfe and Fritz conceived of in the early 2000s.
Inspired by British television series Antiques Roadshow and others like it, they wanted to show that collectors weren’t necessarily scholars and that anyone could be in the business of picking.
They also wanted to shine a light on yard sales and making money from deals.
‘It was hands on history,’ he said.
Together, they pitched the idea for the show for five years until it was eventually picked up by History.
‘When American Pickers was being pitched we walked side by side the whole time. It’s important for people to know that I couldn’t have done it without him, and he couldn’t have done it without me.’
Wolfe and Fritz co-hosted American Pickers for 21 seasons until 2020 when Fritz left the show to undergo back surgery.
While fans expected that Fritz would eventually return, he never did.
The pair had been at the center of feud rumors before Fritz’s death in September 2024
Wolfe and Fritz created the History Channel show American Pickers, which premiered in 2010
It was around this time that speculation of a fallout started to bubble away.
Throughout 2021, Fritz gave numerous interviews in which he claimed that he hadn’t talked to Wolfe.
There were also hints from American Pickers stars, including Wolfe, that Fritz was dealing with substance abuse.
It would be years before Wolfe would talk on record about his friend’s battle with opioid addiction which started in his recovery from back surgery during the Coronavirus pandemic.
‘The reality of it is Frank was doing a lot of things that he was not supposed to do,’ Wolfe said to Daily Mail.
‘We fought hard for him, and we loved him, and no matter how hard and no matter how much we wanted something for him, he had to make the decision to stop on his own.’
He refrained from correcting the narrative of a feud out of ‘respect’ for Fritz and his addiction.
Fritz’s health further declined in 2022 when it was reported in July that he had suffered a stroke.
‘He could barely speak,’ Wolfe remembered, as he revealed he regularly visited Fritz at his nursing facility.
‘I wanted him to know how much I loved him. I would show him photos on my phone of things that I found, and we would talk as best we could about everything that we accomplished together.
Wolfe was by Frtiz’s side as his health declined and visited him in his assisted living facility
His new show is a tribute to Fritz and serves as a testament of their friendship and what they acheived together
‘There were a lot of tears shed, and there were a lot of laughs, and there were so many beautiful things.’
Wolfe is now preparing for the launch of his new History channel show, History’s Greatest Picks with Mike Wolfe.
The eight-part series explores the journeys, tales, and monetary values behind legendary treasures, relics, and artifacts from history.
With expert insight, compelling historical context and Wolfe guiding the audience through captivating stories, the show reveals surprising new details about how these extraordinary objects have changed hands and risen dramatically in value over time.
But Wolfe acknowledges that the new show would not have happened without his brother, Fritz.
‘I wouldn’t be sitting here talking if it wasn’t for him,’ he said. ‘Me and Frank built American Pickers together and when he passed that changed so much of our lives.’
‘I’m not talking about the way we made the show,’ he explained. ‘I’m just talking about our lives personally. And you know, that show has led to this show.
‘This is a real tribute to his level of work and passion and commitment that he made, as well, is the reason I’m standing here today.’
