It had been a long time of a whole latest season of American Pickers that Frank Fritz not appearing. And his absence during the time had the fans speculating what had happened to him or if he, apparently, “fired.”
Well, according to several sources and viewers of the show, Frank took a break due to his back surgery and other health issues he has been suffering from. Meanwhile, Frank said during an interview with The Sun:
“I didn’t leave the show. I finished shooting, and then I had a little back surgery, and the pandemic came.”
In the same interview, Frank also opened up that he had not spoken to Mike Wolfe for years now though they had a close enough relationship to “finish each other’s sentences” previously.
Danielle Colby, the main fixture on American Pickers who runs the office at Antique Archaeology, broker her silence officially as she explained Frank’s position now, saying that Frank had been straining himself to work in the show. Colby, ultimately, felt it hard to watch and told that she “truly hope Frank receives all the helps he needs to become well after years of being unwell.”
Wolfe also later addressed the issue at hand, taking to his social media to announce Frank’s exit from the show.
“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,”
He said it with also some of his heartfelt messages for his longtime friend.
Is Frank Fritz Married?
There are several speculations regarding Frank Fritz's love and marriage by various sources. Frank later clarified of not being married, but he sure has a girlfriend named Diann Bankson, whose photos had occasionally found their way to Frank’s Facebook page.
Their relationship first surfaced after a post from Frank in November 2014 included his referred “sweetie” as Diann, as per Distractify.
Although we don’t know about whether he has kids or not, he shocked the public when he shared a picture of Diann, her daughter Paige, and Paige’s daughter Eulalia, to whom he referred as his “granddaughter.”
Nonetheless, their relationship was hardly guessable, as he later said on a Facebook post in 2017, captioning,
“Diann’s family is my family. It is great being Grandpa Frank! I love my girls.”
Moreover, as reported by The Sun, the pair even got engaged that same year.
Unfortunately, their relationship did not last long, as Diann noted that she found him with “another woman” in the bed in the November of 2018. But that was not all, they reconciled over the issue, and it was later in the farmhouse they were residing in at the time when Frank and a friend set off fireworks.
The incident was reported through a court document filed against Fritz in January 2020. Diann alleged that after the two men were unable to lit the fireworks, “left it in the covered intake ashtray instead of properly disposing the firework,” and it eventually ended up with the blowing of an ashtray, which “severely” burned her hand and arm with third-degree burns and burnt off eyelashes and eyebrows.
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Moreover, Frank neglecting the severe situation, advised Diann to “toughen up” rather than taking her to the hospital. But despite the incident, Diann dismissed the case in March of 2020, even though she demanded a remuneration of $50,000 for Frank’s “negligent in the operation of fireworks.”
Fritz, then, recently addressed the topic in one of his interviews, denying all of the allegations and claiming that such a thing had never happened.
Weight Loss Of Frank Fritz
Frank Fritz was not seen during the past year as he also did not appear in the show American Pickers. And after resurfacing in The Sun’s exclusive photos, he left his fans from the show in shock for his unrecognizable physical appearance.
He reportedly lost about 65 pounds while living a healthier lifestyle over the year. He told the publication:
“The weight loss is me watching what I’m eating so I can keep my disease under control the best I can. I’m just eating healthy,”
Further, he also continued to maintain it with a bit of walking and taking care of “the grass and getting rid of the weeds” in his Iowa farmhouse.
Frank Fritz after and before weight loss (©:GlamourBiz)
Frank was claimed to be a heavy drinker, who now has his drinking habits in control as he “haven’t has a drink in almost nine, ten months.”
He is also a hard worker who had been working over the years in American Pickers despite being diagnosed with an illness called Crohn’s disease. The news came back in 2013 through an official post via Frank’s Facebook account. Nonetheless, he worked over all these years living off of his own job and maintaining his health at the same time.
Net Worth Of Frank Fritz
The antique collector has earned a lead of fortune to add up in his wealth with all the efforts in his career over the years. According to CelebrityNetWorth, Frank Fritz has an estimated net worth of $6 million. Frank also had purchased a home in March 2018 with his then-fiancee Diann Bankson for $355,000, but it ended up being sold after the couple’s split in January 2021 for $358,000.
Frank first worked as a fire inspector, and he began picking up firefighter and firehouse-related trinkets. Later, his interest switched to antique collecting after purchasing a $15 item and selling it for $475. Such profits led him to open an antique shop Frank Fritz Finds, in Savanna, Illinois. The History Channel eventually recruited him for appearing in the reality TV series American Pickers and debuted for the show in January 2010. Ever since he featured in the show until 2020, he seems to be leaving the show for good now.
He has also appeared in other TV shows, including Rachael Ray, American Restoration, Late Show with David Letterman, Pawn Stars, and such. He even voice acted for a show titled American Dad!