Devotees of American Pickers love this folksy History Channel reality show. They liked seeing Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz trekking across the nation, scouring outbuildings, homes, sheds and other nooks and crannies for interesting items of value that they could resell or add to their own collections of offbeat Americana.
The program, which debuted on January 18, 2010, quickly became a big hit and has also done well in Australia. The fun is in seeing what the hosts will unearth next and who they will meet on their travels.
On July 21, 2021, the History Channel announced that Fritz was departing American Pickers. He was reportedly fired from the show. People are curious about how he has been faring since then and if he has a wife or girlfriend. Here is Fritz’s romance run-down as we know it.
Frank Fritz Had A Serious Relationship With Diann Bankson
Fritz, who was born on October 11, 1965 in Davenport, Iowa, was seeing a woman named Diann Bankson. The two had a contentious, on-again, off-again relationship for years when he was 25, 35, and 55.
There was buzz going around in 2016 from fans who thought the duo might have tied the knot already, according to Distractify.
What gave rise to the rumors was a Facebook post from December 2016 that has since been taken down. The post had a snap of Bankson, her daughter, and the daughter’s young child. Fritz called the baby “his granddaughter.”
He explained the remark to clear up any confusion about his marital status, stating, “Diann’s family is my family. It is great being Grandpa Frank! I love my girls.”
The Sun reported that the two got engaged in 2017 and that they shared his farmhouse in Iowa.
Their Relationship Seems To Have Come To A Tumultuous End
Bankson claimed that she caught Fritz cheating on her in November 2018, The Sun stated. They supposedly later reconciled.
In 2021, The Sun noted that Bankson said, “I don’t care to have drama or chaos in my life, I’m just trying to heal right now. It’s been two years, I’m ready to move on.” That statement suggests that the couple split in 2019.
She sued Fritz for $50,000 for negligence on January 27, 2020, according to The Sun after an incident involving fireworks allegedly left her with third-degree burns. Bankson asserted that Fritz and a pal were igniting fireworks at Fritz’s farmhouse. The Sun reported that she claimed that they “had been drinking.”
Bankson said she went inside the farmhouse. According to her, the men placed a firework that they were unable to activate inside “a closed cylinder vintage ashtray” and attempted to ignite it again. The troublesome firework was supposedly left in that ashtray.
When Bankson used the ashtray with the firework in it to smoke a cigarette, she claimed it exploded, resulting in third-degree burns on her arm and hand, plus damage to her eyebrows and eyelashes.
She claimed Fritz would not bring her to the hospital for medical treatment, supposedly telling her to “toughen up.” Bankson reportedly dismissed the lawsuit on March 19, 2020.
In 2021, as The Sun reported, Fritz accused her of cheating on him. He claimed he had been ready to march down the aisle with Bankson. Fritz said, “I was going to get married, I bought a house and a big expensive ring, and then I find out my fiancée had been dating somebody else for two and a half years. “
He added, “She’s the cheater, that’s why I got a tattoo saying ‘Once a cheater always a cheater.’ I got the tattoo two years ago just to remind myself not to make the same mistake again. She cost me six figures.”
Fritz went on to state, “I do not need to spend one minute of my day thinking about anything to do with her. I’m no angel, but neither is she.”
Fritz reportedly told The Sun that he had been in alcohol rehab at the Abbey Center in Bettendorf, Iowa. He spent 77 days there.
He seemingly placed some of the blame for his drinking problem on Bankson and their breakup. “The main problem was this girlfriend I had, I thought I was getting married and I bought a brand new house. Then I found out that all the time while I was on the road, she had a boyfriend back here.”
Fritz continued, “It hurt my feelings, my self-esteem and my whole world. I gave it a good shot, I tried to drink her away. I never drank that much before.”
Fritz Currently Seems To Be Single
Fritz doesn’t have much of a footprint on social media at this time, so it’s challenging to know about his romantic life. He hasn’t posted on Instagram since 2018, but there is no evidence to indicate that he has a new ladylove.
Frank Fritz became a fan favorite on American Pickers, then his professional and personal life seemed to go haywire. Health and relationship difficulties beset him. This popular TV personality is hopefully back on track now and ready to find lasting, loving companionship with the right gal.