Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines for August 8
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Danielle Colby is taking the high road.
The "American Pickers" star recently took to Instagram and shared a new smiling snap of host Mike Wolfe as they travel without former co-host Frank Fritz.
"I love getting to spend time with @mikewolfeamericanpicker," the 45-year-old captioned the photo.
"Head on over to my Patreon right now for a little behind the scenes Patreon-exclusive photo dump from this week," she teased.
The heartfelt pic came days after Fritz slammed Wolfe’s statement about his departure from the hit History Channel series.
'Frank [Fritz] caused so much pain for himself that it has been hard to watch,' Danielle Colby previously 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)
On July 21, Wolfe, 57, 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."
However, Fritz wasn't having it.
"Mike's statement was bulls—t, somebody wrote it out for him," Fritz told The Sun.
"We were never friends in grade school," the 55-year-old claimed. "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. Fritz previously told the outlet he suffered a back injury.
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 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.'"
A rep for Wolfe didn't immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
In his initial statement, Wolfe addressed Fritz's departure from the series.
'AMERICAN PICKERS' CO-STARS MIKE WOLFE AND FRANK FRITZ ARE AT ODDS: HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Frank Fritz (left) claimed audiences could easily identify with him more in the series. (Photo by Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
"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 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. Colby provides much-needed assistance when the two minds find themselves in comedic binds along the way.
At the time, Colby broke her silence on Instagram by sharing a candid selfie with Wolfe while they were hitting the road.
"Out on the road again with my best friend and my big brother whose I support fully and stand behind," she captioned the photo. "Thank you for the last decade of advocacy towards myself and others on set. @mikewolfeamericanpicker I'm proud of how you have handled the last 12 years and look forward to many more years of rolling around this big blue marble together."
A rep for The History Channel didn't immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment. However, Mike Wolfe (right) confirmed on Instagram that Frank Fritz has left the show, adding he will miss his former co-host. (Photo by D Dipasupil/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
"I'm truly saddened for the loss of Frank on the show," Colby shared. "I'm incredibly sad for his struggles. I have personally watched everything over the last decade. I have many thoughts but won't speak them as they are only my thoughts, not gospel. I wish things could have been different but we must be accountable for our actions when we cause instability or pain and suffering to others."
"Frank caused so much pain for himself that it has been hard to watch," Colby continued. "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."
Colby stressed she was opening up now because she didn’t want tabloids to speak out on her behalf. Her goal, she said, is to share her stance on the matter.
"The only reason I'm speaking to this right now is because everybody is speculating on my words and my words are being taken out of context in tabloid rags because they can't interview me because I will not interview with a tabloid rag," wrote Colby. "So if you wanna know how I feel. Here's exactly how I feel. I hope everybody gets well. I hope everybody continues to love each other even through the hard s—t."
A rep for Fritz didn't immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
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Frank Fritz said he was now focusing on his health. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Fritz told The Sun that his relationship with Wolfe was on the rocks. He confirmed to the outlet that he has left the series and is no longer in touch with Wolfe.
"I haven't talked to Mike in two years," Fritz claimed. "He knew my back was messed up, but he didn't call me up and ask how I was doing. 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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It's unclear whether Frank Fritz (left) will be replaced. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
"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.
"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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