Is the American Pickers crew picking sides in the feud between Mike Wolfe and his former co-star Frank Fritz? According to one tabloid, tensions are rising behind the scenes at the History Channel’s beloved program. Here’s what we know.
A recent edition of OK! reports trouble is brewing behind the scenes of American Pickers. An insider dishes to the tabloid, “The series is getting a lot of attention, and it isn’t because of the artifacts,” adding, “Behind the scenes, it’s a whole different kind of show.” Back in July, Frank Fritz was fired from the show after taking a nearly two-year hiatus due to health reasons. Fritz revealed recently that Mike Wolfe, his co-star on the show, never reached out to Fritz during his absence.
Fritz acknowledged that he struggled with alcoholism during his hiatus and went to rehab for treatment. “Frank was in a bad place, but he took responsibility and sought treatment,” The tipster explained. “Once he was sober, Frank was all for coming back, but word is Mike had the final say — and opted to let him go.” But Wolfe’s co-workers aren’t sure that was the right call. “People think he should’ve given his old friend another chance, at the very least. Frank won’t soon forget it either,” The snitch confesses.
But Wolfe isn’t letting the drama get him down. Although he’s still wrapped up in his divorce proceedings, he hasn’t been shy about showing off his new girlfriend, Leticia Cline. “It seems inappropriate,” the source attests, “People not only think it was mean-spirited of Mike not to stick up for Frank, but it seems like he’s too wrapped up in his new romance to even care about him. After ten drama-filled years, it’s just not the same show anymore.”
While the tensions between Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz are undeniable, we doubt there’s too much drama behind the scenes now that Fritz and the Pickers
have parted ways. Fritz was gone nearly two years before being officially fired, so it is unlikely that the day-to-day lives of the rest of his crew have changed significantly. This was something that we can assume everyone was aware of. And while Fritz made some slights towards Wolfe, Wolfe maintains that he would like to reunite with Fritz one day.And whatever the nature of Mike Wolfe’s decision, what does his girlfriend have to do with it? It’s a major reach to suggest anyone on the show has an issue with Wolfe dating someone. Fritz’s departure from the show is supposed to mean Fritz’s personal life has ended. Fritz made it clear that he isn’t crazy about Wolfe and the way he does things, but we seriously doubt he was alluding to Wolfe’s new romance with Cline. Those dots just don’t connect.
It’s obvious the tabloid was just taking advantage of recent news about the show. Wolfe is liked by all crew members, as far as we are aware. In fact, Wolfe’s fellow picker, Danielle Colby, took to Instagram to express her overwhelming support for Wolfe and the decision to part ways with Fritz. At least we can say for certain that someone is on Wolfe’s side.
We’ve busted OK! before for milking drama out of alleged “feuds.” A few years ago, the magazine claimed Charlize Theron was feuding with Vin Diesel. Then the outlet alleged Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone weren’t friends anymore. The magazine claimed that country music had all been in agreement with Gwen Stefani. Obviously, OK! isn’t the most reliable source when it comes to these kinds of stories.
