What happened to Mike Wolfe on American Pickers? Leaving for good?

Every person trying to focus on a career will likely tackle a dilemma in their lives. The dilemma being their personal and family obligations. When Mike Wolfe from American Pickers faced a similar situation a few years back, it wasn’t even a choice. There are a few people who do not recognize Mike Wolfe, who is the creator and co-host of the A&E television network. He was the one who thought of making his antiques business the subject of a reality TV show that gave birth to the show.

Since then, he has been the star of the show that has gained massive popularity and net worth over the years. However, in his personal life, Mike has had his own share of troubles. It all began with his wife, Jody Faith Wolfe, who was diagnosed with cancer back in 2013. It was stage two of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but fortunately, they were able to diagnose it in its early stages and hence treated with fewer risks.

Earlier this year, they also celebrated being cancer-free, which is great news. But the real problem at hand was their daughter, Charlie. Mike Wolfe and Jody Faith are parents to two children, but Jody already had her son from a previous relationship. Charlie was born with a biological defect, which was a cleft lip or palate. It is purely a physical defect but still requires several plastic surgeries to correct.

It can be a lot for a toddler who would want nothing more than the support of her parents. Especially a father. Wolfe knew this and thus, in 2016, he was planning to quit the reality TV business. “I’ll probably call it quits before the network wants me to,” he spoke to ABC affiliate WQAD8. “It’s been a hell of a ride. I’ve got a four and a half year old little girl who wants me at home,” he said, mentioning his daughter, Charlie.

However, despite his unofficial announcement to retire, Mike Wolfe never did stop after one season. Instead, he has continued to host many other seasons, and his daughter is a normal and happy eight-year-old kid by now. Moreover, on top of his reality TV career, Wolfe has become even more active in the philanthropic field. Through their daughter’s medical problem, they were able to find out about the charity Operation Smile, which is a non-profit organization that helps pay for full surgeries for children with clefts.

Furthermore, he is also working on an online project, Nashville’s Big Yard, which is a virtual showroom highlighting 12 small towns between Nashville, Tennessee, and the Shoals, Alabama, for people to buy or visit. Therefore, Mike Wolfe has not left and does not look to retire anytime soon as well. Even if he does retire, he made it clear in his announcement that even if he leaves the reality TV business, he won’t be doing the same to his antiques business.