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"American Pickers" star Mike Wolfe has spoken out after his former co-host Frank Fritz exposed their strained relationship.
In July, Fritz, 55, told The Sun he has left the series and is no longer in contact with Wolfe, 57. According to the outlet, Fritz was fired from the hit History Channel show after he took a nearly two-year hiatus to recover from back surgery, which resulted in 185 stitches and two rods in his spine.
On Monday, Wolfe told the outlet that he would welcome his longtime cohost back.
"We all do care about Frank and we want him back on the show," the star insisted. "I would love to talk with him again, we would absolutely love to, but he just can’t get it right."
Wolfe also claimed that there’s more to the story.
'AMERICAN PICKERS' CO-STARS MIKE WOLFE AND FRANK FRITZ ARE AT ODDS: HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Mike Wolfe (pictured) said he would welcome former co-host Frank Fritz back. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Ovation)
"Frank is just going through a lot personally with addictions," he alleged. "It’s unfortunate that he’s made decisions that have him the way he is."
Fritz previously told the outlet that he did enter rehab for alcohol addiction in Iowa for 77 days during his time off from the show.
"I went to rehab and I’ve been sober now for 11 months," he said. "I didn’t like drinking anymore. My mom was an alcoholic and she died five years ago and it was alcohol-related. My grandfather was an alcoholic and he died. That didn’t sit well with me."
Fritz added that he goes to meetings "twice a week."
"I don’t think I’ll ever have a drink again because I don’t like the feeling anymore and some of the dumb things that I did," he explained. "I’m feeling really good. Life is good and I’d like to get back into the swing of things. I wish I had done it five years ago, I would have been a different person. It was the best thing for me and I wish I had done it sooner or I wouldn’t be in the position that I am right now."
Frank Fritz (pictured) has opened up about his strained relationship with former co-host Mike Wolfe. ( Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
At the time, Fritz admitted to the outlet that he wanted to return to "American Pickers" after his hiatus.
"I’d still like to get back to my job," he said. "I miss my friends and my people and being on the road and meeting all those different characters."
However, Fritz has made it known that his relationship with Wolfe has been on the rocks.
In July, Wolfe took to Instagram and released a lengthy statement, sharing he will "miss" Fritz and "pray for the very best and all good things for him on the next part of his journey."
But Fritz wasn’t having it.
Frank Fritz (left) slammed his former pal Mike Wolfe's statement on Instagram following his exit from the hit History channel series. (Photo by Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
"Mike's statement was bulls—t, somebody wrote it out for him," Fritz told The Sun at the time. "We were never friends in grade school. I don't believe in 10 years he's said five nice things to me, you know? Unless he was cutting somebody else down and we were both laughing."
Fritz insisted that Wolfe didn’t reach out to him when he was experiencing health woes concerning his back injury.
"Mike didn't call me himself, never, like I said – we haven't spoken for two years," said Fritz. "That is the 100% truth and I don't like people that lie to people. I'm not a liar just for the fact that my brain can't remember if I lied or not. I don't lie to people, even if it hurts. If it hurts your feelings, I'm sorry. If you don't like me anymore, that's your problem."
Fritz told the outlet he was standing by his initial claim that he hasn't spoken to Wolfe in two years.
"That is true and I'm not going to sit here and f-----g lie to people," he claimed. "And if he doesn't like it, then maybe he should have f-----g called me. Maybe he should have called and said, ‘Hey, how’s your back doing?' He knows I hurt my back, everyone in the whole network knew I hurt my back, but did one person – just one – call and see how I was? No. So how does that make you feel? It makes you feel like you're just a number. It was like, 'Oh, you hurt your back? Well, life goes on, you know. F—k you.'"
'Frank [Fritz] caused so much pain for himself that it has been hard to watch,' Danielle Colby wrote on Instagram. 'I truly hope Frank receives all the help he needs to become well after years of being unwell. It is not my place to speak Ill of someone who needs help so I will keep my comments uplifting. I'm sending love to everyone.' (Photo by Gary Miller/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
Reps for Wolfe and Fritz didn't immediately respond to Fox News' requests for comments.
In his initial statement, Wolfe addressed Fritz's departure from the series.
"I have known Frank for as long as I can remember, he's been like a brother to me," Wolfe wrote at the time. "The journey that Frank, Dani [Colby] 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."
"The support that you all have given us has been a constant reminder of what the show's message has always been; thru these places, people, and things we all have a common thread," he continued. "We're here to not only take care of the past, but also each other. 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."
The popular History Channel reality series, which premiered in 2010, chronicles the adventures of the pickers as they travel across the country in hopes of finding and rescuing prized objects with stories deeply rooted in American history. Danielle Colby provides much-needed assistance when the two minds find themselves in comedic binds along the way.
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Frank Fritz (left) admitted that he missed the connections he developed while on the road. (Photo by D Dipasupil/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
Fritz has alleged to The Sun that Wolfe didn’t reach out to him following his back injury.
"He knew my back was messed up, but he didn't call me up and ask how I was doing," Fritz alleged. "That's just how it is."
While Fritz wouldn't detail the exact reason for his departure, he described feeling like he was in "second" place on "American Pickers."
"The show is tilted towards him 1,000%," he claimed. "I can't even bend that far down to show you how much. That's fine. It's like you've got Aerosmith and there's Steven Tyler and he's the frontman. I found my spot, I'm second and he's number one on the show. That's no problem with me, maybe he does have a problem."
Fritz also revealed that audiences could easily identify with him more, making him a "bigger" star among fans.
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Frank Fritz (left) claimed audiences could easily identify with him more in the series. (Photo by Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
"I'm not arrogant and I'm more of a regular ol' guy," he explained. "The guy that connects with me is the guy who buys a 30 pack of Busch Light and a pizza on the weekend. That's my guy. My guy buys a $150 sign, not an $8,000 sign. I'm more of the common man guy, I haven't found a $100,000 vase or any Michelangelo stuff. I've never really had a big, big score like that. But all the small scores are the bread and butter and that's my deal."
Fritz told the outlet that it would be difficult to "put the show on after not talking to somebody for two years."
"I think Mike wants to get his brother Robbie in there to replace me," Fritz claimed. "I don't know why he's behaving like that towards me. You couldn't just stick two people in a van and get the chemistry you get from me and Mike. We've known each other for about 40 years. We can finish each others' sentences. When everybody is getting along and there's no drama, me and him are very good together."
The celebrated collector said he's now eager to move on and start a new chapter in his life. Most recently, he unveiled a 65-pound weight loss to keep his Crohn's Disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, "under control the best I can." He credited the transformation to healthy eating habits.
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A rep for The History Channel didn't immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment. However, Mike Wolfe (left) confirmed on Instagram that Frank Fritz has left the show, adding he will miss his former co-host. (Photo by Ray Tamarra/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
"I'm just trying to get through life like everybody else and be as happy as I possibly can," said Fritz. "Life is what you put into it. If you don't put much into it you don't get a lot out of it."
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