Alex Carson
Things just keep getting worse for former American Pickers costar Frank Fritz. After being booted from the program after two decades in 2020, Frank suffered a debilitating stroke in the middle of 2022 that he is still a long ways from recovering from. Not only that, but it appears that he is struggling financially! Join Facts Verse as we explore how Frank Fritz could go broke after his medical bills.
Frank Fritz’s Situation Keeps Getting Worse
Last we heard from former American Pickers costar Frank Fritz, he had suffered a debilitating stroke in the summer of 2022 and had lost the ability to take care of himself. A little over a month later, one of Frank’s longtime friends filed for conservatorship over the reality-television star and was awarded it. Things seemed dire for Frank, but at least he had people looking out for him. Now, it seems as if the members of Frank’s camp have something new to worry about.
Just recently, documents were leaked that revealed Frank Fritz’s monthly expenses. Given the greater context of the reality-television star’s financial situation, these documents seem to indicate that some pretty hard times are coming up for Frank financially. According to the documents, Frank’s monthly expenses are early $30,000. Around $20,000 of this is spent on medical care, with the former American Pickers costar still receiving massive amount of medical attention around the clock. A couple tens of thousands of dollars in medical expenses is one thing, but there are also other monthly expenses that appear to be chipping away at Frank’s bank account. The documents allege that Frank spends over $1,000 on food, nearly $1,000 on transportation and clothing, and another $1,000 just on insurance.
When Frank Fritz’ monthly expenses are totaled up, it adds up to around $270,000 that the former American Pickers’ costar needs to stay alive. In the world of celebrities, this may not seem like much. However, Frank isn’t the wealthy figure that some might assume given his celebrity status. It’s estimated that the reality-television star’s yearly income is only around $60,000, with that sum coming from various investments. Frank hasn’t been a member of American Pickers cast since he was let go in the spring of 2020.
Why Doesn’t Frank Sell Off His Junk?
Frank Fritz might not have a whole lot in the way of traditional wealth, but those that are close to the former American Pickers costar know that he has a whole lot of junk. Amidst all of the junk that Frank has accumulated over the years may be some random treasures that could help him out of his financial difficulties. However, his conservator claims that he has no immediate intention of going through the reality-television star’s hoards of potential treasures and taking inventory. The conservator’s plan right now is to get Frank set up on unemployment, which the reality-television star should’ve been on before suffering his stroke given that he hasn’t been employed since being fired three years ago.
Frank Fritz’s debilitating stroke occurred on July 14, and he was in the hospital until the early part of September. Since being released from the hospital, he has been living in a rehabilitation center. As one might imagine, staying in a rehabilitation center for an extended period of time has gone a long way towards keeping the former American Pickers costar’s cost of living high. Once he’s given the clear to head home, things might lighten up for Frank financially. However, there will be other expenses that need to be paid before he can be released. These include the installation of various handles and ramps around his home so he can get around.
Once Frank Fritz is released from the hospital, his longtime friend and current conservator will continue taking care of him until he makes a full recovery. In addition to helping him with his physical therapy, he’ll also help him cook and shop for groceries. Sadly, it doesn’t seem as if there is any chance of Frank returning to American Pickers whether he makes a full recovery from his stroke or not. Frank’s last appearance on the show was in March of 2020. His exit was mysterious.
Frank Fritz’s Mysterious Exit from American Pickers
In the time leading up to Frank Fritz’s final appearance on American Pickers, the reality-television star was drawing some heat for what fans considered to be some pretty rapid weight loss. Fans were understandably concerned for his health, or worried that he was abusing illicit substances. As it turns out, the reason that Frank was losing so much weight was because he was trying to get his health back on track. Franks suffers from Crohn’s disease, which affects his digestive health. Frank decided to take better control of his diet in order to alleviate the effects of the disease, and these changes also saw the celebrity give up alcohol for good.
As a result of changes made to his diet because of Crohn’s disease, Frank Fritz lost nearly 70 pounds before being fired from American Pickers. Though it is generally agreed upon that he was indeed fired, the cause and circumstance of his firing from the show are tricky to determine. It is not usually believed that Frank was fired in the spring of 2020. Instead, Frank’s initial absence from American Pickers that started around this time is typically attributed to the back surgery that the reality-television star subsequently underwent.
Later in 2020, Frank Fritz checked into rehab as a result of his aforementioned alcoholism. Frank was allegedly cured of his alcoholism before leaving the facility, and was doing well in the time leading up to his debilitating stroke. The former American Pickers costar was in the rehab facility for over two months, with his stay totaling 77 days. Frank went on his own volition, and he claimed afterwards that he made the absolute best of his time there. His mother had just recently died of alcoholism, and he was taking his choice to give up his problem very seriously. According to him, he read a dozen different self-help books during his rehab stay.
Frank Is Already Experienced at Rehabilitation
Up until his debilitating stroke, Frank kept up his rehabilitation from alcoholism so seriously that he was attending AA meetings twice a week. Hopefully, Frank will have just as much luck as he continues to rehabilitate from the effects of the stroke. It’s heartening to know that Mike Wolfe, the man who fired Frank from American Pickers, wished his old friend well via social media. In addition to starting up and starring in American Pickers together around two decades ago, Frank and Mike were lifelong friends until their recent falling out. As with the firing in general, it’s not entirely clear what cause the falling out, or what the status of their relationship was in the time leading up to the stroke.
Mike Wolfe may have wished Frank Fritz well via social media following the news of the latter’s stroke, but all accounts have it that the two haven’t talked since around the time of Frank’s last appearance on American Pickers. At some point between March of 2020 and July of 2022, it was decided that Frank was never coming back to the program. Not long after Frank’s initial disappearance, Mike’s brother was brought onto the program to fill the void that had been created. Frank and Mike filmed around 20 seasons of American Pickers together, totaling 300 episodes.
There are many things that can be blamed for Frank and Mike no longer being friends. After Frank took an absence from American Pickers to have back surgery, the reality-television star publicly expressed his disdain that his longtime friend never called him to see how he was doing. Many used this information to hypothesize that Frank had made the decision not to return to American Pickers himself because he couldn’t handle Mike’s ego. Frank has always been very vocal about his awareness that Mike is the true focal point of the show while he was only the sidekick.
Danielle Colby Publicly Sided with Mike Wolfe
In interviews, it seemed as if Frank Fritz was okay with his place as longtime friend Mike Wolfe’s sidekick on American Pickers. If ego wasn’t behind Frank being fired from the program, then perhaps it was his alcoholism. Frank’s alcoholism was apparently a pretty big issue over the course of his time on the show. Some believe that alcohol abuse made Frank’s behavior erratic, and that this is the reason that Mike Wolfe made the decision to fire him.
Fans have been divided about whether or not they side with Frank Fritz or Mike Wolfe in the feud, but one person who seems pretty confident that Mike did no wrong is Danielle Colby. Danielle Colby is another member of American Picker’s cast. Like Mike, she’s still on the show. In the summer of 2021, Danielle made a vague statement via social media that seemed on the surface as if it was in support of Frank Fritz’s recovery from alcoholism. However, fans were quick to dissect to statement to reveal an undercurrent of resent towards Frank that couldn’t be denied. The statement suggested that Frank’s erratic behavior had indeed been the cause of his firing from American Pickers, with Danielle saying that Mike was simply holding him accountable for his actions by firing him.
Former American Pickers costar Frank Fritz is trying to recover from a stroke, but medical bills are making it difficult! Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that American Pickers’ Frank Fritz suffered a debilitating stroke in the summer of 2022, and that his medical expenses are now drastically outweighing his income? Comment down below!
