'American Pickers' Star Mike Wolfe Responds to Claim He's 'Losing' Audience
American Pickers star Mike Wolfe reacted to a viewer's claim that he is "losing" his "target audience" by focusing on high-priced purchases.
The longtime co-host and creator of the History Channel show, which follows antique collectors traveling across the United States in search of unique and rare objects, took to his Instagram account on Wednesday to promote a new episode that he was "excited" for fans to see.
In a self-shot video, Wolfe said that the episode would feature him and his co-star working on high-end motorcycles that included Harley-Davidsons.
However, his post was met with complaints from one viewer, who commented: "You're losing target audience by focusing on big priced buys. Bring back the smalls, the experts on random picks, the mom and pop barns. Please. We miss it."
"All coming at you!" Wolfe responded, indicating that their wish could be granted.
TV personality Wolfe, who has fronted American Pickers since it launched in 2010, has recently been updating his Instagram profile with a host of behind-the-scenes clips from the show.
Since American Pickers premiered, there have been some changes to the way the show is shot and produced, which Wolfe recently addressed after hearing from fans.
Responding to a fan's comment on social media, Wolfe admitted there's less "freestyling" on the show now. "If you notice we don't do that anymore. It doesn't work into the show we're too recognizable now. Miss that though it was fun and exciting," he wrote.
The lack of "freestyling" doesn't mean that the entire show is staged, as Wolfe was quick to point out when other people left comments suggesting so.
When one TikTok user commented "[too] bad it's all staged," Wolfe took exception to the insinuation. "Staged meaning we know where we're going. Yep true story. [Scripted?] Negative," he replied.
He elaborated after another person made a similar accusation.
"There is no script for this show when we're picking we either find something or we don't. Yes there are thru stories to make what we do into a show," Wolfe wrote.
The comments and responses from Wolfe were sparked by the TV personality sharing a video that highlighted the names and roles of the behind-the-scenes team.
Many of the comments asked Wolfe why Antiques Archaeology shop manager Danielle Colby was missing from the video, seemingly worried that she'd gone the way of former host Frank Fritz and had been removed from the show. Wolfe assured several fans that she was "still rocking with us," implying that she remains part of the show.
It was announced in July 2021 that Fritz would be leaving the cast of American Pickers, despite being a co-host since it began in 2010. He suffered a stroke in July 2022, which prompted fans to urge Wolfe to make amends with Fritz. Seemingly unprompted, Wolfe addressed Fritz's contribution to the show.
"Nothing will ever replace Frank we miss him. Very much like y'all do," Wolfe wrote.
Update 3/2/23, 9:32 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information.
