American Pickers' Frank Fritz Not Returning To Show After Not Speaking To Co-Host Mike Wolfe In Over Two Years

American Pickers is going to look a bit different when it returns on History Channel.

The long-running show, which focuses on Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz, who go in search of rare artifacts and national treasures that might be buried in barns and residences that they can buy from the collectors they visit and then sell in their antiques shops or, in some cases, put in their personal collections.

Click inside to see what’s happening with the future of the show…

In a statement from the network, American Pickers will now only be hosted by Mike Wolfe, as Frank Fritz has departed the series for good.

Since the show started in 2010, Frank and Mike have been the hosts of it, however, Frank confirmed that he would not be returning, citing back surgery and his ongoing complications from Crohn’s disease, which presented a lot of immunity challenges when the COVID pandemic hit.

“I didn’t leave the show,” he shared in a recent show with The Sun. “I finished shooting and then I had a little back surgery and the pandemic came.”

While American Pickers returned to production with just Mike, fans have been wondering about the status of Frank.

History then released a statement to EW that Frank would not be returning, as he’s not part of the show’s “big picture”.

In the same interview, Frank revealed that he had not spoken to Mike for some time.

“I haven’t talked to Mike in two years,” he shared. “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.”

He added that American Pickers is “tilted towards him 1,000 percent. 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.”

Mike released a statement along with History Channel on Frank‘s departure:

“I have known Frank for as long as I can remember, he’s been like a brother to me. The journey that Frank, Dani (Danielle), and I started back in 2009, like all of life, has come with its highs and lows, blessings and challenges, but it has also been the most rewarding. I will miss Frank, just like all of you, and I pray for the very best and all good things for him on the next part of his journey.”

Just a week ago, it was revealed that Mike and his wife, Jodi, were splitting up.