Danielle Colby FINALLY Breaks Silence On Frank Fritz And Confirms The Rumors

Danielle Colby finally breaks the silence on Frank Fritz, and it’s huge for American Pickers fans. People have been guessing about Frank’s exit and Danielle’s thoughts for years. Now she’s ready to talk. What went down between Frank Fritz and Mike Wolf? Did Danielle pick a side? This isn’t just random chatter. It’s her side of the story full of real feelings and facts. Stick around because Danielle Kby finally breaks the silence and confirms the rumors. You’ll hear what’s been going on behind the scenes with TV’s favorite picking team.
Let’s jump in. Roadside beginnings. Danielle Colby didn’t start as a TV star. Back in 2010, when American Pickers kicked off, she was just a friend helping out. Mike Wolf and Frank Fritz were the ones hitting the road, digging through old barns for cool stuff. Danielle stayed back inair, Iowa, running antique archaeology, the shop where they sold their finds. She answered phones, tracked down leads, and ensured everything kept moving. Fans loved her immediately. Her tattoos, fun energy, and way of keeping things real.
But Danielle wasn’t just there for looks. She was the one holding it all together. Mike and Frank played a big part in the show’s success. Growing up in Iowa, they’d been buddies for years, loving old junk. Danielle saw how well they clicked. Mike was the guy with big dreams, always talking about saving history. Frank was quieter and focused on details like how an old toy worked.
They’d argue sometimes. Mike wanting a rusty sign, Frank eyeing a motorcycle part. But it was fun to watch. Danielle would laugh when they called her from the road, joking about who won the day.
She liked being part of their team, even if she wasn’t in the van. The early days were simple. They’d drive around in their white van, picking through people’s stuff, looking for treasures.
Danielle kept the shop ready for whatever they brought back. She’d hear stories about their trips, finding a beat up bike or an old sign, and helped figure out what to do with it. People started coming to the shop to see her, asking about Mike and Frank. It was exciting, but Danielle could tell things wouldn’t stay easy forever. The show was getting bigger, and bigger things brought bigger problems. She got to know Mike and Frank pretty well. Mike was always pushing forward, full of ideas.
Frank liked things slower, digging into the small stuff. Danielle fit right in the middle. She talked to Mike about his plans and check on Frank when he sounded tired. They trusted her and she trusted them. It felt like a little family, but even back then, she noticed tiny signs of trouble. Frank would get quiet sometimes and Mike would push a little too hard. Nothing big yet, just hints of what could happen later. TV takes off.
American Pickers blew up fast, and Danielle Colby was right there when it happened. It started slow. Mike had been pitching the idea for years, filming stuff with a shaky camera. He’d drag Frank along, climbing into old barns, getting dirty. Danielle helped from the shop, digging up leads for them.
Networks kept saying no, thinking nobody watched two guys picking junk. But Mike wouldn’t quit. In 2010, the History Channel took a chance and bam, 3.1 million people tuned in for the first episode. Danielle couldn’t believe it.
The shop turned into a zoo overnight.
Fans flooded wanting to see where the magic happened. Danielle was suddenly a big deal. People recognized her on TV asking for pictures. She’d smile, show them around, and point out cool stuff like a rusty gas pump Mike found. It was fun, but crazy. She had to hire extra people just to keep up. The phone rang non-stop. Folks offering pics, fans asking about Frank and Mike. Danielle loved the energy, but it was a lot to handle. Mike and Frank were out there living the dream. They’d call her from random towns, excited about their halls.
Mike once found a huge neon sign and couldn’t stop talking about it. Frank scored an old fire extinguisher and bragged like he’d won a prize. Danielle would laugh, jot it down, and prepare the shop for whatever they dragged in.
But the show wasn’t easy anymore. They were filming 250 days a year, long hours on the road. She could hear it in their voices. They were beaten but still going. However, fame hit them all differently. Mike leaned into it. He opened a shop in Nashville and it took off. Crowds lined up to see him.
Danielle thought it was awesome. He was making his mark. Frank didn’t care for the spotlight. He stayed in Illinois, keeping his picking low-key. She’d tease him, saying, “You’re the quiet star, huh?” He’d grunt and change the subject.
Danielle saw how they balanced each other. “Mike loud, Frank, chill.” It worked on TV and she kept the home base steady. She has her fans, too. People loved her style. Tattoos, funky clothes, that burlesque flare. She’d post pics online and comments would pour in.
“You’re the coolest,” they’d say.
Danielle ate it up. It made the long days worth it. like a weird doll Frank found. She’d share little shop updates and fans went wild. But she noticed the show changing. It wasn’t just them picking anymore. There were crews, plans, and big money. It felt less like an adventure and more like a job. The buzz kept growing. By 2015, episodes cost $250,000 more than in the early days.
Danielle saw the pressure pile on. Mike wanted every find to be a hit and Frank just wanted to keep it real. She’d hear them sometimes argue. Nothing huge, just a little stuff. Mike would say, “We need a big score.” Frank would snap, “I’m not digging for your TV” moment. Danielle stayed out of it, focusing on the shop.
She liked being the calm one, the one they could count on. It was a wild ride, and Danielle was proud. The show was huge. Millions watched every week. She’d sit back sometimes, amazed at how far they’d come. From a little Iowa shop to TV screens everywhere, it was unreal.
But she knew it couldn’t stay perfect.
Fame’s tricky. It gives you a lot, but it takes stuff, too. She didn’t know what yet, but she could feel something coming. For now, she just kept the shop humming, ready for whatever was next.
Trouble brewing. Danielle Colby could tell things were off by 2017. American Pickers was still a hit, but behind the scenes, trouble was brewing. She wasn’t out picking, but she heard everything from Mike and Frank. The show was huge now. Big crews, tight schedules, tons of money on the line. Mike was all in, pushing to make it even bigger. He’d call her from Nashville, talking about new shop ideas, and new finds. Danielle loved his energy, but she could hear the stress. He wanted every episode to wow people, which meant more work for everyone. Frank was different. He’d call less, and he sounded worn out when he did. Danielle knew he’d been dealing with Crohn’s disease. His stomach hurt a lot and it was getting worse. He didn’t talk about it much, but she’d ask, “You okay out there?” He’d say, “Yeah, just tired.” And move on. She didn’t push. He was private like that. But the crew told her stuff. Frank is missing days and looking rough on set. Danielle started worrying. He loved picking, but his body wasn’t keeping up. The shop kept her busy. Fans still came asking about Mike and Frank. “Where’s Frank lately?” they’d say. Danielle would smile, say he was out picking, and leave it at that.
She didn’t want to start rumors, but she saw the signs. Frank’s calls got shorter. Mike’s got busier. The show was pulling them apart. One time, Frank snapped. He called her from a shoot, mad about something Mike said. “He’s turning this into a circus,” he grumbled.
Danielle listened and didn’t take sides.
“He’s just excited,” she said. Frank huffed and hung up. She didn’t tell Mike it wasn’t her fight, but it stuck with her. They used to laugh about stuff like that, not argue. She wondered if the show was really worth it, if it messed them up and caused a big rift. Still, she kept the shop going, acting like everything was fine. Fans didn’t see the trouble yet. The episodes looked great.
Mike and Frank were joking and finding treasures. Danielle knew it was edited to hide the rough spots. She’d watch and think, “That’s not the whole story.” But she didn’t say anything. She liked her spot, running the shop, staying out of the drama. Mike would visit sometimes, full of plans. Frank didn’t come by much. She missed the old days when they all hung out, swapping stories. By 2019, it was clear something big was coming.
Frank’s health was tanking. He missed more shots and the crew scrambled. Mike kept pushing, but Danielle could tell he was frustrated. She’d hear him sigh on the phone. Wish Frank was here. She didn’t know what to say. The show was a machine now and wasn’t stopping for anyone. Danielle felt it building.
Trouble she couldn’t fix. She hoped Mike and Frank would sort it out before it blew up. Van stops rolling. March 2020 was when the wheels fell off. Frank Fritz’s last American Pickers episode aired and then he was gone. Danielle Colby found out from Mike. He called her one night, voice low. “Frank’s done,” he said. She asked why, but Mike didn’t have much. “He’s just not coming back.” “Danielle didn’t push. She could tell he was bummed. She’d seen it coming, but it still stung. Frank had been part of this from the start. his goofy laugh, his love for weird finds. The van was rolling without him, and it didn’t feel right. Frank split his side later. He told the son he hadn’t talked to Mike in 2 years. “My backs messed up,” he said.
And Mike didn’t even call. Danielle didn’t buy that completely. She’d seen Mike move shoots around when Frank was sick. But she got why Frank felt that way. He’d been hurting and maybe he needed more than scheduled tweaks. She didn’t call him to check. That wasn’t her thing. She figured he’d reach out if he wanted. He didn’t. Fans flipped out.
“Why’d Frank leave?” they asked online.
“Did Mike ditch him?” Danielle saw the posts, but stayed quiet. She kept the shop running, posting pics of old stuff.
Anything to dodge the questions. She didn’t want to pick a side. Mike was her buddy, always had been. But Frank was, too, and she hated that he was gone.
She’d text Mike, “How’s it going?” He’d say, “We’re managing.” She didn’t ask about Frank. It felt too raw. The truth was messy. Frank’s Crohn’s had gotten brutal. 17 hospital trips in 2 years, plus rehab in 2020 for alcohol. Danielle heard about it from the crew. She didn’t think he was a mess up. Pain does stuff to people. She remembered him joking about a find once, all excited. That guy was fading, and it sucked. Mike kept filming, bringing in new people.
Danielle watched the episodes, which were good, but not the same. She missed Frank’s vibe, even if he’d been grumpy lately. She had her chaos to deal with.
The shop was still packed with fans, and 2020 threw everyone off with the pandemic. Danielle kept it open when she could, wearing a mask and chatting through the glass. People asked about Frank non-stop. “He’s taking a break,” she’d say, keeping it vague. She didn’t want to lie, but didn’t have the full story. Mike posted online saying he’d miss Frank and calling him a brother.
Danielle read it and nodded. Mike meant it. Frank’s words stuck with her, though. He told the son he felt like second place, like Mike was the star and he was just there. Danielle got that Mike was the face, the big dreamer.
Frank was the regular guy who picked small stuff that fans loved. She didn’t think Mike pushed him out, but saw how Frank could feel left behind. The show was Mike’s baby, and Frank wasn’t keeping up. She wished they’d talked it out, but they didn’t. Danielle kept her head down. The van stopped rolling for Frank and she had to roll with it. She focused on the shop, her dancing, and her life. Fans kept guessing. Money fights, jealousy, whatever. She didn’t care. She knew Mike was hurting, and Frank was, too. The breaking point came and she couldn’t fix it. All she could do was wait and see what happened next.
She wasn’t ready to talk yet. That had come later. First words out. Danielle Colby finally broke silence in July 2021, and it’s a game changer. She’d been dodging fans and rumors since Frank left. People were all over her online.
What’s up with Frank? Pick a side. She hated it. So, she grabbed her phone, snapped a selfie with Mike, and posted it on Instagram. Out on the road again with my best friend and big brother, whom I support fully and stand behind, she wrote. Boom. She was team Mike. But she wasn’t done. She had more to say about Frank Fritz. She kept typing and it got real. I’m truly saddened for the loss of Frank on the show, she said. I’m incredibly sad for his struggles. I have personally watched everything over the last decade. Danielle Colby confirms the rumors, but not with some big fight story. She’d seen Frank deal with stuff.
Health, maybe more. And it wasn’t easy.
Fans went nuts reading every word. “What struggles?” they asked. She didn’t spell it out. She wasn’t there to gossip, just to say what she knew. Then she dropped a heavy line. Frank caused so much pain for himself that it has been hard to watch, she wrote. I truly hope Frank receives all the help he needs to become well after years of being unwell. That hit people. Danielle wasn’t mad. She was worried. She’d watched Frank fade and it hurt her. She didn’t blame him, didn’t him. She just hoped he’d get better. It was her way of saying, “Yeah, the rumors about trouble are true, but it’s not what you think.” She explained why she posted. The only reason I’m speaking to this right now is because everybody is speculating on my words, she said. My words are being taken out of context in tabloid rags because they can’t interview me. Danielle was fed up with junk stories twisting her silence.
Here’s exactly how I feel, she added. I hope everybody gets well. She wanted it straight from her. No rumors, no lies.
She was done letting others talk for her. Fans had a lot to say. Some loved it. Danielle’s so real. Others were like, “Tell us more.” She didn’t care.
She wasn’t spilling every secret. She’d been around Mike and Frank forever. Shop talks, road calls, all of it. She picked Mike because he’d always had her back, but she still cared about Frank. Her post wasn’t a big reveal. It was a peak.
People could guess the rest, but she’d said what she wanted. Life didn’t stop after that. Danielle kept the shop buzzing. Fans still came asking questions. She’d smile, say, “Check my post.” and move on. Mike kept picking and she’d cheer him on online. Frank stayed quiet and she didn’t reach out.
She’d done her part. Cleared the air, set her stance. The rumors about a feud, she squashed that. It was deeper.
Frank’s pain, Mike’s push, she left it there, letting fans figure it out. Quiet fallout. After Danielle’s 2021 post, things got quiet, but not easy. Frank Fritz was off American Pickers and Danielle Colby was stuck watching the Fallout. She didn’t say much more online, just shop picks, dance stuff, keeping it light. But behind the scenes, she knew Frank was in bad shape. His Crohn’s had been rough forever. She heard he was trying to improve, but it wasn’t working fast. Danielle didn’t call him. She figured he needed space.
She just hoped he’d pull through. Mike kept the show alive, and Danielle backed him up. He’d stop by the shop sometimes, looking tired but smiling. “We’re still picking,” he’d say. She’d nod, happy he was hanging in there. Fans asked her about Frank less now. Her post had shut down some chatter, but she’d catch whispers from the crew. Frank wasn’t doing great. More hospital trips, more trouble. Danielle felt bad. She remembered him lugging a rusty bike into the shop once, grinning like a kid. That guy was slipping away. Then 2022 hit hard. Frank had a stroke, big and scary.
Danielle found out from a friend on the crew. Mike dropped everything and went to see him. She didn’t ask details, but she heard Mike was there a lot. Sitting by Frank’s bed, he’d bring little things, old pics, stuff they’d found together. Danielle thought that was cool. It showed Mike still cared even after the silence. She didn’t visit. She wasn’t that tight with Frank, but she kept an eye on it. Frank didn’t bounce back quickly. The stroke had been bad and he needed tons of help afterwards.
And then in October 2024, it all came to an end. Frank passed away. Danielle heard from Mike. He sounded wrecked.
“He’s gone,” he said. She didn’t know what to say, so she just listened. Mike told her he’d been there till the last day, bringing stuff from their picking days. Danielle felt a lump in her throat. She’d known Frank forever. His quirks, his finds. Losing him was like losing a piece of the show. She didn’t post about it. It just took a day to think. Fans didn’t know the half of it.
They saw Frank leave and heard Danielle’s post, but not this. Mike stayed quiet, too. Just a short note online about missing his brother.
Danielle respected that. She didn’t want to stir things up. But the rumors started again. People saying Mike abandoned Frank, that fame killed their friendship. She shook her head. She’d seen Mike step up, seen Frank fight his body. It wasn’t that simple. Full story drops. Danielle Colby finally breaks silence on Frank Fritz and confirms the rumors. It’s months after Frank’s death and she’s done waiting. She sits down for an interview. Simple. No drama. Just her. Frank’s body gave out. She says, “I watched it happen over the years.
Crohn’s, pain, everything. Mike didn’t push him out. Frank had to stop. It’s straight up Danielle. No fluff. She confirms the rumors. not about a fight, but about a guy who couldn’t keep going.
“It’s time to tell everything,” she says, nodding to the thumbnail. “This is for them.” She lays it out clearly.
Frank loved picking, but his health wouldn’t let him. She says by 2018, he was in and out of hospitals 17 times in 2 years. Mike tried to help, moved shoots, waited, but Frank was done.
She’d seen it. Frank wincing on calls.
Mike stressing over schedules. He didn’t quit because he hated it, she adds. He quit because he couldn’t do it. It’s not wild news, but it’s real, and fans lean in. Then she flips it to Mike. Mike stuck by him, she says. After the stroke, he was there, paid bills, brought old fines to the hospital. He was there when Frank died. Danielle’s not guessing. She knows. She’d heard it from people close to them. Mike didn’t talk about it much, she says, but he didn’t have to. He showed up. It’s her way of killing the feud rumors. Mike wasn’t the bad guy. Life was. She gets personal for a second. I’ve known them since the start, she says. Frank was the quiet one, finding little treasures.
Mike was the dreamer, saving big stuff.
They were awesome together. Danielle smiles, remembering fame made it hard.
Long days, big pressure, but it wasn’t hate that split them. Frank’s body just broke. She’s not sad or mad, just telling it like it is. Fans get the full picture now and it’s heavy. People wanted a blowout story. Yelling, backstabbing. Danielle doesn’t give that. It’s not that exciting, she says, laughing a little. Frank fought his health, not Mike. Mike fought to keep the show, not Frank. She’d hinted at this in 2021, but now it’s all out. I didn’t say more back then, she explains.
It wasn’t time. Now with Frank gone, it is. She’s not here for clicks. She’s here for the truth. The interview was short, but it landed. They built something special, she says. American Pickers was their thing. Two buddies chasing junk. It’s still going because of Mike, and Frank’s part lives in it.
Danielle’s done. No big tears, no long speech. She confirms the rumors with facts, not fluff. Fans hear it and feel it. No more guessing. She’s given them the story straight from her years of watching. She wraps it up simply. That’s it. She says, “No big fight, just real life. I’m proud of them both. Danielle walks off, leaving it there. Mike’s still picking. Frank’s in the past, and she’s told it all. It’s not a twist, it’s closure. She’s happy with that, and she hopes fans are, too. The full story’s out, and it’s hers to tell.
Danielle Kby finally gave us the real deal on American Pickers. Frank’s health, Mike’s loyalty. It’s all clear now. No fights, just tough times, and heartbreak at the end. What do you think of Danielle’s story? Does it match what you thought? Drop it below. We’re checking every comment. Hit subscribe for more like this. Thanks for watching.