'American Pickers' star Mike Wolfe urged fired pal Frank Fritz to 'return and save the show,' sources say
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'American Pickers' star Mike Wolf allegedly has fingers crossed as he hopes his old partner Frank Fritz will make a comeback on the History channel's antique-hunting reality show.
The popular duo became a household name after they served as co-hosts on the hit series since its 2010 debut. In July 2021, Fritz, 57, revealed that he had been let go from the show and was no longer in contact with Wolfe, 58, amid their feud. The latter has since made an impassioned plea to his former partner to "return and save American Pickers," per sources with knowledge of the situation.
ALSO READ
'Sprawled out on the floor': Frank Fritz's pal made FRANTIC 911 call before he suffered stroke
'GMA' co-host TJ Holmes caught playfully joking about Amy Robach's 'purity' on show
"Coming crawling back to Frank is a bitter pill for Mike to swallow," an insider told Radar Online, citing a major ratings drop as well as upset fans who want Fritz back on the show. Their rift reportedly began two years ago after Fritz took time off to recover from back surgery and at one point checked into rehab for alcohol abuse. His last appearance on the popular show was in March 2020. Fritz was officially relieved of his duties on the show in July 2021 and replaced by Mike's brother, Robbie Wolfe. However, Fritz appeared to be open to the idea of making a comeback despite his ongoing beef with Wolfe and being upset that he didn't reach out to him. "I would like to come back to the show," Fritz told The Sun around that time. "I was doing [the show] for 11 years. I'm 100 percent recovered now and I'm ready to roll and go back," he added.
It's worth noting that ratings for the History channel production plunged drastically since Fritz's firing and being replaced by Mike's brother. According to The Sun, an episode in September saw a whopping loss of 200,000 viewers following his exit. The August 27 episode reportedly garnered around 829,000 viewers. Ratings were good the week prior as the August 20 episode brought in 1,007,000 viewers. The drop in ratings could be due to the channel airing the new episode at 8 pm instead of the usual 9 pm slot. Nonetheless, the ratings have been rather inconsistent since the casting change.
While A&E Networks has stopped airing new episodes of late, it appears the show will make a comeback as the network recently filed to renew its trademark. And while it's unclear whether Fritz would be open to a three-way co-hosting gig, sources are wondering whether his health could cause problems following his debilitating stroke in July. "He's still recovering," one insider with knowledge told Radar Online.
TOP STORIES
Wolfe took to Instagram following news of Fritz's health scare, penning a supportive message and noting that their friendship mattered more than any past drama.
"I have been very private in the past year in regards to Frank's life and the journey he's been on," Wolfe wrote alongside a photo of Fritz. "There [have] been lots of opinions in regards to mine and Frank's friendship and the show but now is not the time to set the record straight. Now is the time to pray for my friend," he added.