Mike Wolfe, the 61-year-old star of the History Channel series American Pickers, and his girlfriend, Leticia Cline, were injured in a car crash Friday in Columbia, Tennessee, Wolfe said Saturday on Instagram. Wolfe said both he and Cline are receiving medical care and that Cline remains hospitalized but is expected to make a full recovery.
Wolfe posted an image of his heavily damaged blue vintage vehicle on social media and thanked followers for prayers and privacy. "By the grace of God, we’re both safe and okay," he wrote. He added that the couple were "receiving excellent care" and asked fans to respect their privacy while they recover.
Cline posted updates of her own, saying her jaw struck a shattered car window. In a late Saturday post she detailed multiple injuries: a broken jaw in several places, broken ribs, a fractured sternum, a collapsed lung and significant swelling on her spine. She wrote that her mouth would be wired shut and that she hoped to undergo surgery the following day. A photograph Cline shared showed Wolfe reclining beside her in a hospital bed while she wore a neck brace.
Wolfe posted a later update Saturday saying, "It’s been a rough nite but now there’s light at the end of the tunnel." He also wrote, "I truly believe in the power of group prayers thank you to all of you that have sent them to us." Fox News Digital and representatives for Wolfe were contacted for comment.
The crash occurred as the couple was traveling in Tennessee, Wolfe said, and his social posts reflected both the severity of the collision and gratitude that they survived. Cline’s posts included images of the wrecked vehicle and the couple in the hospital.
Earlier this year, Wolfe closed his Nashville storefront, Antique Archaeology, after 15 years. In an Instagram post announcing the closure, Wolfe wrote that he intended to pursue a slower pace of life in his home state of Iowa and described the decision as a change of "rhythm," not a farewell. The shop’s closing followed the death in September 2024 of Wolfe’s longtime co-star and friend Frank Fritz, who died of complications from a stroke while in hospice care. Wolfe previously said the cast and crew often think of Fritz while filming, noting the depth of their friendship and Fritz’s influence on the show.
American Pickers, which follows Wolfe and others as they search for antiques and collectibles across the United States, has had a devoted audience since its debut. Wolfe’s social media updates Saturday were among the first public accounts of the crash, and his request for privacy and gratitude for medical care and well-wishes frame the immediate aftermath as he and Cline continue treatment and recovery.
No further details about the cause of the crash, other occupants or any law enforcement response were disclosed in Wolfe’s social posts. Officials in Columbia, Tennessee, did not immediately release a statement about the collision.
Wolfe’s fans and colleagues reacted on social media after the posts were shared, sending messages of support and well-wishes. Wolfe’s statement that both are "safe and okay" and that Cline is "expected to make a full recovery" provided the most definitive information available about their conditions as they remain under medical care.