Mike WolfeandFrank Fritzwere knownto fans for their friendship and their ability to find rare artifactsacross the United States onthe reality showAmerican Pickers. Sadly,Fritz passed awayin September of this yearand Wolfe opened up about his friend,Fritz’s addiction issues, and cleared up some misconceptions about what happened between him and Fritz before his death.In a new interview withPeople, Wolfe shared what happened with Fritz’s addiction issues.
Wolfe was candid with the outlet, sharing that he cannot tellall of Fritz’s storybecause it was his to share. But he did open up aboutwhat happened with their relationshipand what part he played in it. “Here’s the deal, I don’t have the right to tell his story– only he does,” Wolfe toldPeople. “But I do have, I feel, the right to tell the personal story of how myself and so many people struggled to navigate what was going on in his life.”
Wolfe then went onto say that during the Pandemic, after he and Fritz were both going through rough patches in relationships, Fritz became addicted to drugs and it changed their entire relationship. “He became addicted to opioids and that’s when everything changed,” Wolfe said. He talked about how he tried to stage an intervention, how he tried to be there for Fritz, and how hard it was to watch his friend during this time. “Watching Frank doing some of the things that he was doing, it was really hard,” he said.
Mike Wolfe Claims He Never Abandoned Frank Fritz
There were posts during this time fromFritz that insinuated that he and Wolfe had not spokenin years. According to Wolfe, that wasn’t the case, he was still there for his friend but he understood where Fritz was coming from. To the public,the show had left Fritz behind. When it was announced that he was no longer onAmerican Pickers,fans were confused but Wolfe said he had mixed feelings on leaving Fritz behind. “They’re just like, ‘Listen, we have to move on. We have to keep going with this,’” Wolfe said “ … we were just trying to figure out what we were going to do.”
Wolfe went onto talk about how Fritz’s comment about their friendship ended up resulting in himreaching out to Fritz. “I know how judgmental the public can be,” Wolfe said. “And so that’s why when we did end up speaking again,it was so easy for me to forgive himbecause I knew it wasn’t him talking. It was his addiction talking.”
You can watch Fritz and Wolfe onAmerican Pickers.
American Pickers
Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz journey across America, scouring junkyards, basements, and barns for valuable antiques and collectibles. Their adventures involve uncovering rare finds, negotiating with quirky characters, and restoring forgotten treasures to their former glory, highlighting the hidden gems and rich histories across the country.
Stream on Prime Video
