Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz friendship explored as former 'American Pickers' star suffers stroke

American actor Frank Fritz has been hospitalized after having a stroke, the American Pickers star and Fritz's former co-host Mike Wolfe revealed on his social media.

On July 21, the 58-year-old star took to his Instagram handle and shared a picture of Fritz alongside a long heartfelt caption.

Beginning the post by addressing the situation of their friendship, Wolfe wrote:

"I have been very private in the past year in regards to Franks life and the journey he’s been on. There has 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."

He then asked his followers to "pray for my friend."

"Frank has suffered a stroke and is in the hospital. Please keep him in your hearts and thoughts. Frank I pray more than anything that you make it through this okay. I love you buddy."

Mike Wolfe did not give much detail about Frank Fritz's condition in his social media post.

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Frank Fritz and Mike Wolfe have been friends for several years now

Frank Fritz and Mike Wolfe made their debut on American Pickers in 2010. The duo, along with their co-worker Danielle Colby-Cushman, have appeared for many seasons of the show, and "are on a mission to recycle America." The History Channel describes it as:

"The show follows the team as they scour the country for hidden gems in junkyards, basements, garages and barns, meeting quirky characters and hearing their amazing stories."

Several fans of the show were seemingly shocked when Frank Fritz did not appear on the show mid-Season 21. He was last seen in episode seven, named Burlesque Queen, in Season 21 but disappeared from the next installment called the Ghost of the West.

Neither Wolfe nor Cushman - who owns an Iowan antique store - seemed to acknowledge that Fritz was missing from the show.

In July 2021, Frank Fritz revealed in an interview with The Sun that he had undergone back surgery, which explains his absence from the show.

"It's up to the network whether I come back on the show. I didn't leave the show. I finished shooting and then I had a little back surgery and the pandemic came."

Frank Fritz could not shoot the 2020-2021 season for the American Pickers as he was recovering from back surgery. He also has Crohn's disease and has shed several pounds due to exercise and quitting alcohol.

In the same interview, Fritz revealed that he and Mike Wolfe had a falling out, stating they had not spoken in the last two years and the latter had not even called him to ask about his health after his back surgery.

"The show is tilted towards him 1,000 percent. I can't even bend that far down to show you how much."

After the channel officially announced that Frank Fritz would not appear on the show, Wolfe issued a statement bidding farewell to the former, who was "like a brother" to him.

"The journey that Frank, Dani, 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."

On August 4, 2021, Fritz again gave a bombshell interview to The Sun, where he slammed Mike Wolfe.

"Mike’s statement was bullsh*t, somebody wrote it out for him. We never were friends in grade school. I don’t believe in ten years he’s said five nice things to me, you know? Unless he was cutting somebody else down and we were both laughing."

However, looking at Mike Wolfe's recent post, it seems the two have reconciled since their feud. No updates from Frank Fritz's family have been given to the media about his health condition.