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History Channel’s reality TV series, American Pickers, returns with new episodes in July 2023, and fans want to know the state of Frank Fritz and Mike Wolfe’s friendship. The duo starred together in the series for years, but they reportedly had a complicated relationship more recently. Now, a friend of Fritz’s claims they “needed separation” in order to keep their friendship alive.

‘American Pickers’ stars Frank Fritz and Mike Wolfe recently revived their friendship

Frank Fritz doesn’t star in American Pickers in 2023, but he and Mike Wolfe co-hosted the series for nearly 20 seasons. The reality stars originally met in high school, and they bonded years later thanks to their mutual love for antiques.

Fritz and Wolfe established what appeared to be a lifelong friendship, but there were issues along the way. Fritz was dismissed from the series in 2020, and it was unclear exactly where he stood with Wolfe after that. Then, when Fritz had a stroke in July 2022, it was still unclear whether Wolfe and Fritz maintained a friendship.

It seems Fritz and Wolfe finally came together to hash out their differences. The two met up during Memorial Day weekend in 2023. A friend of the stars made the arrangements for them to meet.

“This was not a feud between Mike and Frank at all,” Fritz’s friend shared with the Quad-City Times. “They were not feuding. They needed separation to appreciate each other.”

According to the friend, Wolfe wanted to reconnect with Fritz for awhile, but Fritz only recently felt the same way. Finally, Fritz told the friend, “I need to talk to Mike,” and the Memorial Day plans were made.

“They talked about old times — how things got started and the impact they had on the world,” the friend added. “There were tears flowing on both sides. Mike really stressed all the good times they had before the show and during the show.”

The ‘American Pickers’ stars feuded in the past

'American Pickers' stars Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz standing next to each other and smiling
‘American Pickers’ stars Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz | Marcel Thomas/FilmMagic
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While Frank Fritz and Mike Wolfe hashed their relationship out ahead of new episodes of American Pickers airing in 2023, it wasn’t always this cordial. In 2021, Fritz told The Sun that he hadn’t talked to Wolfe in two years.

“I haven’t talked to Mike in two years,” Fritz alleged. “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 then called out the History Channel for favoring Wolfe in the program. “The show is tilted towards him 1,000%,” he continued. “I can’t even bend that far down to show you how much. … That’s fine. It’s like you’ve got Aerosmith and there’s Steven Tyler and he’s the front man. I found my spot, I’m second and he’s number one on the show. That’s no problem with me, maybe he does have a problem.”

“When everybody is getting along and there’s no drama, me and him are very good together,” Fritz noted.

Frank Fritz won’t be in new episodes of ‘American Pickers’ airing in 2023

Fans hoped to see Frank Fritz in American Pickers episodes airing in 2023. Unfortunately, Fritz won’t return anytime soon. His friend told the Quad-City Times that he’s focusing on his health, though Mike Wolfe would love to see him return. With this in mind, it’s likely fans might see Fritz in future seasons as long as he continues to take care of his health.

New episodes of American Pickers begin on Wednesday, July 5, 2023.

American Pickers airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on History Channel.

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