Mike Wolfe gained fame as an American reality TV star and expert antique seeker. He began his treasure-hunting journey as a youth, gradually amassing a devoted following.
However, his true rise to stardom occurred when he was selected to appear on American Pickers, a popular documentary series that premiered on the History channel on January 18, 2019. The show chronicles Wolfe and his partner’s quest to uncover valuable treasures.
Mike Wolfe Profile Summary
Full name: Michael Wolfe
Date of birth: 11 June 1964
Age: 60 years old (2024)
Place of birth: Jolliet, Illinois
Citizenship: American
Height: 6ft (183 inches)
Parents: Rita Wolfe
Siblings: Robbie Wolfe, Beth Wolfe
Ethnicity: White
Marital status: Divorced
Ex-wife: Jodie Beth
Children: Charlie Wolfe
Profession: Reality TV star, television show host, entrepreneur
Early Life
Mike Wolfe was born in Joliet, Illinois on June 11, 1964. He grew up with his two siblings, Beth and Robbie, under the care of their single mother, Rita. When his family relocated to Bettendorf, Iowa, Mike’s passion for picking began at a young age, scavenging old bikes discarded by neighbors.
As he got older, Wolfe expanded his picking territory to include alleyways and abandoned houses, searching for items he could sell. He attended Sudlow Intermediate School, where he met his future “American Pickers” co-host, Frank Fritz, and graduated from Bettendorf High School in 1982.
Career
Before he even began elementary school, Wolfe was already on the hunt for valuable antiques and other treasures. His initial interest was sparked by antique bicycles, which ultimately led him to pursue competitive racing and eventually establish his own bike shop, The Village Bike Shop.
After that, Mike started actively searching for vintage bikes and other old treasures. He still remembers with great affection his greatest discovery – a warehouse filled with Indian Motorcycles.
In 2000, he launched Antique Archeology in Le Claire, Iowa, and in 2011, he expanded to a second store in Nashville, Tennessee. The following year, Wolfe introduced his own lighting line, Rustorations, at the Nashville location.
Mike Wolfe’s talent for discovering hidden treasures caught the eye of The History Channel, leading to the debut of “American Pickers” on January 18, 2010. The show’s premiere drew in over three million viewers, making it the network’s most successful debut since “Ice Road Truckers” in 2007.
According to the show’s official website, Wolfe “looks for things with a story; things that fill in some of the blanks in the everyday history of America.” In addition to his role on “American Pickers,” Mike also established Two Lanes, a brand featuring American-made clothing and accessories.
Mike Wolfe owns Two Lanes Guesthouse, which is a rental property located in Columbia, Tennessee. The guesthouse offers guests the unique experience of admiring items from Mike’s collection, which he has collected from barns and sheds all over America, as part of the decor. The guesthouse is situated above Wolfe’s Trek Bicycle Shop, another business that he owns.
Personal Life
On January 30, 2012, Mike and Jodi Faeth welcomed their daughter, Charlie. They got married on September 8, 2012, after dating for 18 years. Charlie was born with a cleft palette and had two surgeries to fix it before her first birthday.
This motivated Wolfe and Faeth to become advocates for Operation Smile. In December 2013, Jodi was diagnosed with stage 2 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. However, in May 2020, Mike announced on Instagram that Faeth had been cancer-free for six years.
After nearly nine years of marriage, Jodi filed for divorce against Mike Wolfe. Jodi filed for divorce in November, citing irreconcilable differences as the cause. The date of separation, according to the filing, was June 2020. The divorce was finalized in December 2021.
Net Worth
Mike Wolfe, a well-known American reality TV personality and antique collector, has a net worth of $7 million. He gained recognition for his role as co-host of “American Pickers,” a popular show on The History Channel since 2010. Together with his partner Frank Fritz, Wolfe embarks on a journey across the nation to uncover valuable antiques in various locations such as stores, storage spaces, and flea markets.
