‘American Pickers’: How Old Are Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz in 2023?
History Channel’s hit reality TV series, American Pickers, is back with new episodes in 2023. Mike Wolfe started on the show as a co-host with his antique-loving friend Frank Fritz. While Fritz is not currently on the show, Wolfe continues to host. So, how old are Wolfe and Fritz in 2023? Here’s what to know.
How old is ‘American Pickers’ star Mike Wolfe in 2023?
American Pickers star Mike Wolfe turned 59 years old in 2023. The show premiered on the History Channel on Jan. 18, 2010. At the time, Wolfe was just 45 years old.
It wasn’t easy getting American Pickers off the ground. According to Wolfe, he started pitching the series five years before the concept was ever picked up.
“I pitched the show for five years,” he shared with Southeastern Antiquing and Collecting Magazine. “Before then, I was always on the road finding great stuff. I shared some of my experiences with my friends, and they said, ‘You should buy a video camera,’ so I did. I put it on the dash and talked into it as I drove around. I made videos and posted them on my website. With those videos, I started pitching the concept, and I finally sold it to the History Channel. It was a five-year process.”
Wolfe always had a love of antiquing, too. “When I was 5, I had my first big score when I found a pile of old bicycles in my neighborhood on trash day,” he stated. “And I was always bringing home old bottles and other random stuff. I never thought of it as junk: to me, it was beautiful.”
How old is Frank Fritz?
Frank Fritz remains on the outs with American Pickers in 2023, and fans know him as the most controversial cast member of the show. Fritz turned 57 years old in 2023, making him just 2 years younger than Wolfe.
Fritz and Wolfe go way back. The two friends first met in high school but didn’t establish a friendship until their later years.
“We never were friends in grade school,” Fritz told The Sun. “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.”
Thankfully, their love of antiquing and collectibles brought them together, making them an unforgettable duo in American Pickers. Unfortunately, Fritz talked about the issues he had with Wolfe and the rest of the show’s production, especially after the series fired him in July 2021.
Fritz spoke to The Sun about how Wolfe never called him when he hurt his back. At the time, Fritz left the show from his injury on what he assumed would be a temporary leave. “He knows I hurt my back, everyone in the whole network knew I hurt my back, but did one person — just one — call and see how I was? No,” Fritz stated.
“So how does that make you feel?” he added. “It makes you feel like you’re just a number. It was like ‘Oh you hurt your back? Well, life goes on, you know. F*** you.”
Fritz went on to say that production always preferred working with Wolfe. “The show is tilted towards him 1,000%,” he added. “I can’t even bend that far down to show you how much.”
Will Frank Fritz return to ‘American Pickers’ in 2023?
Despite Frank Fritz and Mike Wolfe’s issues in the past, the American Pickers stars remain friends. Fritz’s friend facilitated a meetup between Fritz and Wolfe over Memorial Day weekend in 2023. According to the friend, there was a lot of reminiscing and plenty of tears. Wolfe even asked Fritz to return to the series. Unfortunately for fans, they won’t see Fritz come back anytime soon, as he’s still focusing on his health.
“Mike really stressed all the good times they had before the show and during the show,” the friend told the Quad-City Times. “Mike did say he’d like Frank back on the show, but Frank is focused on his health.”
American Pickers airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on History Channel.
For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.
