What You Were Never Told About Mike Wolfe From American Pickers

The Untold Truth of ‘American Pickers’ Star, Mike Wolfe. American Pickers is one of the most popular shows in America, with twenty four seasons released over the course of fourteen years. The show is the brainchild of antique expert and collector Mike Wolfe, who has built a massive empire doing the very thing he loves. But how much do you really know about this man? Beyond the glitz and glamour of the show, we dig deep into his life away from the blinding light of fame, uncovering a tale of tragedies, trials, and triumphs. These are the facts nobody told you about Mike Wolfe.

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he was on the trail in Iowa not long ago but he’s no politician and he’s not looking for votes he’s looking for Diamonds in the Rough with Lee Cowan meet American Picker Mike Wolf American Pickers is one of the most popular shows in America with 24 seasons released over the course of 14 years the show is the brainchild of antique expert and collector Mike Wolf who has built a massive Empire doing the very thing he loves I’m Mike Wolf and I’m Frank fretz and we’re Pickers we travel to back roads of America looking for Rusty gold we’re looking for amazing things buried in people’s garages and barns but how much do you really know about this man beyond the glitz and glamour of the show we dig deep into his life away from the blinding light of Fame I I’ve still got that you need to buy that I need to buy that uncovering A Tail of tragedies trials and triumphs these are the facts nobody told you about Mike Wolf he started picking from childhood American television would never be the same without Mike Wolf through his hit TV series he introduced the audience to a new kind of hobby anyone could enjoy a hobby known as picking but before he started showcasing his picking skills on television he was already known as a man who found pleasure in turning trash into treasure this can is really an amazing condition I mean if you look at the graphics on it the colors and this condition I’d pay $1,500 this passion that would eventually earn him more money and fame than he could ever dream of began when he was just a sweet little boy vle was around Elementary School age when he made his first pick a moment that remains etched in his memory forever he recalls growing up in a home where they always had less than they needed so unlike other kids in the neighborhood his parents couldn’t afford to buy him a bicycle that was until one day when he stumbled Upon a discarded one in a trash pile alarmed that anyone would throw out something he wanted so badly wolf decided to see if he could fix up the bicycle it was one of those big garbage days I was cutting through this yard and I remember seeing it was a girl’s bike and I picked that up and I was amazed that someone would throw out a bike however he wouldn’t have been able to ride it anyway cuz it was a lady’s bike still that event struck a cord in his heart igniting a desire that still Burns till today on getting home the young wolf set to work on the bike screwing things into place changing whatever needed to be changed and pimping it up until it looked nice enough to sell which he did for $5 one of his proudest sales ever what started with a single bicycle has now grown into a movement that has captivated the world for over 14 years and counting and that same young boy has bidded thousands tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands of dollars on the craziest findes you you’ve ever seen we’ll get into some of the most expensive and craziest picks Mike Wolf and his team have ever come across later in the video so stick around to catch that several television network rejected him that I’ve told people in the past is if you’re so fixated on your idea and it’s like my way or the highway chances are it’s not going to make it while American Picker has become one of the most successful shows on American television no one really believed in the idea from the beginning driven solely by his passion for the craft Mike Wolf crafted the idea of a show that would introduce the world to the concept of picking the only problem was that not a lot of people knew exactly what picking was so selling a show about it to networks was a huge challenge sure there were antique shops in almost every city in America as well as other venues around the country where people could buy whatever old stuff they wanted but nobody really knew how these things were found restored and carefully reconstructed to receive a new breath of life even when he explained and described what exactly picking was about many of the big decision makers still couldn’t flow with the idea and they feared that such kind of content would not really appeal to a lot of people this means that the targeted audience was too compact so the viewership of such a show will be quite Limited at the time though it was hard to predict if the American audience would really love to watch someone digging through other people ‘s trash just to go find really old things that were still valuable but after pitching the idea to the History Channel for five straight years he finally got the yes he’d been waiting for and that set the foundation for one of the biggest shows on American television from that moment onward wolf and his former partner Frank Fritz traveled around the United States and elsewhere around the world to pick various antique and ancient items for resale for their clients or to add to their collections to find the best place to explore wolf and Fritz called upon amateur and experienced collectors hoarders or anyone who had inherited an overwhelming look that may be hiding some Treasures both the front man and his sidekick have different preferences when it comes to picking while wolf fancies some antique motorcycles aircooled Volkswagen some Penny farings and of course old bicycles Fritz on the other hand is always on the lookout for antique toys old Honda do and oil cans but that’s not where the Intrigue ends Die Hard fans will remember when the duo purchased old advertisements and Commercial signage film posters that episode with the rare 15g visible gasoline pump and of course the only pagio ape in all of North America but this one’s too small right the Globes are around the faces aren’t the face as soon as the show debuted on January 18th 2010 it instantly recorded massive success contrary to the expectations of the television networks to give a perspective of how big this show really is the premiere episode alone recorded 3.1 million viewers making it the highest rated debut on the History Channel since Ice Road Truckers took the nation by storm in 2007 its most impressive episode was released on September 8 2010 titled Laurel and Hardy and it gained as high as 5.3 million views viewers as at the time the episode was released American Pickers was the number one new fiction series of the year and it has not slowed down one bit since then who knew Americans would love watching someone dig deep into trash but wolf found a formula that worked and he’s remained at the top of the niche ever since surprisingly though the man behind it all didn’t really want to be famous in the first place and he often credits the massive success to the people who allow him to sort through their TR trash and admittedly some of these hoarders and collectors have a pretty interesting backstory like Ron the moleman a 66-year-old autistic man who built an entire Treasure Trove in his parents’ backyard Ron how you doing man good remember me I’m Mike yes there’s Frankie right there for over 50 years Ron worked on this 80 room structure using only scavenged materials and his magnificent creation was brought to light when wolf and Fritz visited his home in the sixth episode of the Show’s first season collectors like Ron open their doors to Wolf and Fritz as they dig through the trash to find treasure as fans eagerly anticipate the 25th season it’s safe to say wolf has built an Empire doing the things he loves while opening the fans eyes to a new kind of hobby anyone can enjoy Antique Archaeology stores prior to his television debut Mike Wolf established two stores known as Antique Archaeology where he showcases some of his most interesting finds a nucleus of antique archaeology and everybody’s always wondering what this place looks like this is full Rockstar access path right here today right now designed as both a shop and a museum the shop serves both display and sales functions customers can walk in here and simply admire the beauty of lost Texs and old artifacts and while not every object on display is on sale the shop also offers a wide variety of Collectibles Antiques and unique home decor for the enthusiasts all the precious finds wolf discovers on his numerous trips around America’s junkyards basement garages and barns end up in the stores the first of the Antique Archaeology stores was opened in the year 2000 and is located in laclair Iowa the property used to be a fabrication shop and it is located close to bondorf Iowa the place where wolf spent his childhood as for the second store it is located in Nashville Tennessee where wolf currently resides with his family and it was opened in 2011 at these stores you will find relics from Wolf’s adventures and objects that will Captivate your imagination owing to the success of American Pickers the antique stores have also become a sort of tourist destination where many picking enthusiasts and lovers of vintage items come to Feast their eyes on the most alluring pics scavenged by wolf most intriguing finds he’s looking for Diamonds in the Rough with Lee Cowan meet American Picker Mike Wolf throughout his career wolf has stumbled across several fascinating finds from the ultra rare to the downright bizaar one of his most famous picks was during the 19th season when he came across the Lost touring bus of a’ 70s rock band known as Aerosmith this relic of times P had been sitting on a man’s property in Chesterfield Massachusetts for decades before wolf and his team were called in to check it out it was during inspections that they discovered that it was indeed the original van used by the New England band Aerosmith earlier in their careers to confirm the authenticity of the find the team turned to Ray tabano one of the original Aerosmith members and after he appended his sign of approval the American Pickers bought the car took the car back to their base and kickstarted its transformation Journey we put the van back where it belongs in Aerosmith’s [Music] Hands by the time these guys were done the van was unrecognizable from the derelict and abandoned shell they found in the woods Aeros Smiths themselves would later make an appearance on the show where they were presented with their shiny newly restored vehicle although it was practically impossible to bring it back to its Old Glory the Mike and the rest of the crew did a good restoration job and the episodes remain etched in the hearts and minds of many fans about the van itself Aerosmith eventually paid to take it off Wolf’s hands and it is currently in their possession for a while it was displayed outside the Park Theater where Aerosmith held a Las Vegas residency at the time but as soon The Residency ended in 2020 the van was taken away and is probably St ashed in an unknown garage somewhere another good Contender for the strangest find would be the Elephant Head wolf and his team came across while exploring the collections of a taxidermist named Al while looking through the several fascinating pieces they found this ultra realistic head that turned out to be a real elephant head perfectly preserved by Al’s experienced hands these are beautiful majestic creatures and we want to make sure we’re doing the right thing to dispel any concerns by the audience as to how such an artifact was obtained wolf mentioned that the head had not been obtained through nefarious or illegal means and that the proper paperwork from the United States fish and wildlife services was available to prove that the animal hadn’t been a victim of poaching with this done the men moved to talk money and like the shrewd businessman that he was Al slammed a hefty price of $112,000 on the elephant’s head however Mike and Fritz also had a wealth of experience in bargaining and were able to talk it down to $9,500 which wasn’t too bad for a real elephant head but with the artifact in their possession the big question was who would buy an elephant head turns out there’s an American Musician who’s obsessed with elephants and would pay anything to get his hands on such a Priceless piece that man was John Anthony White the lead singer of the band White Stripes who loved those majestic creatures so much that he literally has an album titled elephant so wolf and Fritz embarked on a trip to White’s recording studio in Nashville offering him the chance of a lifetime to own a real elephant head at first the negotiations seemed to go nowhere as the singer wasn’t ready to purchase at the asking price of $122,500 wolf would eventually reach a compromise with white throwing in an antique black and white photo booth from Walsworth and an antique juke box white used to have when he was still in unknown artiste at the end of the day white walked away with three items for the price of one making this one of the craziest sales the team had ever done but the cost of this piece pales in comparison to the shocking price wolf and Fritz sold this next pick four during an episode in season 17 of American Pickers the duo met up with a collector who had just inherited an expansive collection of old bikes from his late father wolf who had an affinity for motorbikes became interested Ed on the spot and it didn’t take long before he recognized the creme de La Creme hidden within the derelict Bunch the ace bikes the company that produced this bike was only in business for 4 years between 1920 and 1924 before they were bought by a bigger brand and later retired from the market what this meant was the bike was extremely rare and would obviously fetch a lot of money upon showing interest in buying the bike the owner said it was all a package deal so if they wanted to take one they had to take everything after employing all their bargaining skills the duo were able to beat the price down to $90,000 with the ace bike going for $45,000 with each incredible find the pair warmed their way deeper into our hearts and even after so many years the show continues to gain massive viewership propelling Mike Wolf to new heights with each new season family drama although Mike Wolf may have recorded incredible success in his career as a television personality and reality show host the same cannot be said of his marriage for a while it seemed as though the man had a perfect life but all that changed in 20120 when news broke that wolf and his wife jod Faith were getting a divorce the history of these two love birds dates back to 1994 when they first met through a mutual friend while their love may not necessarily fit the love at first sight stereotype they definitely kicked things off from that moment and it didn’t take long for their friendship to grow into a full-blown relationship Mike and jod would go on to date for a staggering 18 years before eventually tying the knot on September 8 2012 the wedding ceremony was held in Nashville Tennessee and it was pretty private with only a few close friends family members and colleagues present as soon as the vows were exchanged and the ceremony was done the two headed for Hawaii on a lavish honeymoon however 8 months before their wedding the couple had actually welcomed their first child a sweet little girl they named Charlie Faith wolf as she went jod had a lot of trouble birthing the child thanks to her Advanced age she was already 41 at the time and so it took endless hours for the baby to finally come out unfortunately though baby Charlie’s early days were not so smooth as she was born with with a birth condition known as cleft lip and cleft pallet this condition occurs when the tissues that make up a baby’s face and mouth don’t fuse together properly creating openings or splits in the upper lip the roof of the mouth also known as the pallet or both Mike and jod were crushed when they found out about Charlie’s medical condition thankfully though it wasn’t a life-threatening situation although the baby had to undergo two reconstructive surgeries to correct the split and restore normal function following the ordeal wolf created a sculpture in the image of his daughter sitting on a dog it was called Charlie’s smile and not surprisingly it quickly sold out all the proceeds from the sale went to a nonprofit called Operation Smile which provides free pallet surgeries to children and adults plagued by the condition worldwide Jodie fought cancer and won in late December 2013 Mike and jod were hit with with a terrifying news after jod was diagnosed with Stage 2 non Hodgkins lymphoma it was sobering news not just for the couple but also for millions of fans who sent in their wishes praying that jod gets well soon the most shocking part of it all however was that prior to this diagnosis jod was known for her healthy lifestyle she was vegan she exercised a lot and also consumed a whole lot of Natural Foods so she was the last person anyone when expected would be hit by cancer while the diagnosis was most definitely scary jod didn’t have to walk the journey alone her husband was right by her side through it all and with adequate And Timely treatment she was able to survive the diagnosis since then she’s been cancer-free healthy and full of life the shocking divorce imagine the shock on everyone’s faces in July 2021 when news broke that jod had filed for divorce in November of the previous year unlike most famous couples jod and Mike kept a clean public record so most people were confused as to what could have led to such a decision according to the court papers the couple had initially separated in June 2020 months before the official divorce papers were issued in her defense jod cited irreconcilable differences stating emphatically that all options had been exhausted and they could no longer live together as husband and wife one big question in the minds of everyone at the time was who would gain custody of Charlie at the end of the day the two had to settle for a co-parenting Arrangement although the mother was listed as the Primary Residential parent jod also got the major share of 230 day in a year while Mike would only be allowed contact for 134 days apart from the kid the couple also had Financial ties which had to be sorted out so they could both have a smooth transition after a whole lot of back and forth Mike finally agreed to pay a total sum of $634,000 in alimony but that’s not where it ends the couple also owned a total of 15 real estate assets of these properties the couple’s $4 million marital home in Nashville as well as their North Carolina property went to Jodie while Mike retained ownership of the other 13 assets located in Tennessee and Iowa by the time the smoke cleared on the divorce the television Star had shelved out a hefty sum of over $5 million to provide for the Equitable division of the marital estate according to the court documents but then the deal gets even sweeter a jod was now entitled to 50% of post tax royalties Mike earned fall the first 10 seasons of American Pickers or at least anything he earned from the show before December 31st 2021 in addition to this jod would also get 40% of the post tax royalties earned by Mike for the first 10 seasons of the show until December 31st 2026 the announcement marked the final demise of their marriage and the beginning of a new chapter for both wolf and his wife however it didn’t take long for Mike to finally move on and find love again this time in the arms of a woman named Leticia kleene he’s dating again Klein and wolf started dating in August 2021 although there are rumors swirling around that they may have actually been together long before that the 45-year-old Leticia kleene is described as a rider motorcycle racer Heritage tourism preservationist retired politician and a native of Kentucky according to her personal website kleene lost her mother at the age of 29 and just like Wolf’s previous partner she also battled cancer and won when she was 3 7 she’s also a single mother to a 21-year son named Caleb a child she had with her ex-husband Chad kleene very little is known about how the couple met but there seems to be a couple of mutual interests that could tie them together for one Klein has been involved in a couple of motorbike races which is proof of her love for things on two wheels wolf on the other hand has collected quite a couple of motorcycles including rare vintage ones as well as others which he restores for purpose personal use earlier in 2023 wolf and kleene dazzled the public when they attended a motorcycle auction together in Las Vegas kleene who’s also a journalist has made a living writing about motorcycles while she has also appeared on the reality television show Beauty and The Geek in the past kleene also worked as a reporter for TNA Wrestling but perhaps her most notable role would be as a model for the Playboy magazine as for Mike’s ex-wife jod her relationship status after the divorce remains unknown as she has managed to stay away from social media as much as possible and so information about her private life is very limited behind the scenes when he’s not digging through other people’s basement Mike Wolf spends his time writing organizing fundraising events or pursuing his other interests as an accomplished author the American Picker star has released four books including kid Pickers an introductory guide to picking for children and the Art of the pick another bestseller that showcases some of his most incredible picks over the years apart from the divorce case wolf has managed to keep his reputation clean over the years with little to no stain on his reputation unfortunately his friend and partner for over 11 years Frank Fritz had to leave the show in March 20120 it all started in 2017 when Fritz was caught driving under the influence of alcohol and hard drugs the incident was carried by the media and it may have played a huge role in his eventual departure from the show regardless of the controversies the show remains one of the most beloved reality television series to Grace our screens thank you for watching this video see you in the next one