It’s hard to believe American Pickers has been on the air for more than 15 years. It’s gone through changes over time, with a public back-and-forth leading Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz to break up the duo in 2021. (The former reality star tragically passed away in 2024 after years of declining health reports.) Now, we may be nearing the end of the History Channel original series in general, and Wolfe is looking back at the beginning.
The reality star shared a throwback post to the early days on American Pickers complete with a caption that paid homage to the work he’d put in with Frank. It was touching, but also played into those final season cancellation rumors that have been running around.
Wolfe spoke fondly of the “great team” they employed at the beginning and how they were only able to create the success they did after History handed them “the ball” and they “took it over the finish line together.” His comments are bittersweet now that we’ve lost Frank and now that television in general – not just Pickers – is moving into a new era.
The timing is also especially important. A while back, Danielle Colby hinted that the era of American Pickers may be coming to an end. In December of 2025, Wolfe’s partner in picking said they’d found out “Pickers is done” and felt they were at an “epic crossroads” of sorts. History Channel has not confirmed the show is officially done at this point, and said new episodes could be produced at some point. Thus, things have been left in limbo, though the tone of this post has me feeling like change is afoot.
It’s been a long year for Mike Wolfe outside of any professional developments. Back in September, he and his girlfriend Leticia Cline were out for a joy ride in one of his classic cars when they were hit by a drunk driver who Cline has said was out “on probation.” He suffered minor injuries, but she was hospitalized with a broken jaw and other injuries that took months to recover from. While she’s been candid about her journey on social media, it’s also been clear it’s been a hard year for the couple to endure.
In this time, Wolfe has made changes, closing his famous Antique Archaeology shop in Nashville and picking up some additional work. He’s set to host History’s Greatest Picks with Mike Wolfe, which will hit the 2026 TV schedule on Sunday, February 22 at 9 ET. So, the man’s definitely not done with the cabler. He also recently landed another acting role while Pickers is off the schedule. So, he has stuff in the pipeline.
All good things must come to an end, and if American Pickers does go the way of the dinosaur, it leaves behind a lasting legacy of hobbyism, history and camaraderie, highlighting the open road and the cool ways so many Americans hang onto things that otherwise might get lost to Mother Time. I’m grateful Mike and Frank got the ball rolling all those years ago.
And hey, if it lands in the graveyard of cancelled TV shows there’s always more than 400 episodes of reruns.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
