Jodi Faeth is Mike Wolfe’s former wife and the mother of their daughter, Charlie. She shared his life before and during the rise of American Pickers. Their family went through Charlie’s early surgeries, charity work for children with cleft conditions, her own cancer treatment, and a marriage that ended in 2021.
In this article, you’ll learn about Jodi Faeth, her life with Mike, daughter Charlie, the family’s work with Operation Smile, her cancer recovery, their Tennessee home, and what the court papers say about the end of the marriage.
She Knew Mike Before TV Fame
Jodi Faeth was part of Mike Wolfe’s life before TV made him famous.
Mike had spent years buying and selling old bikes, signs, motorcycles, and other pieces of American history, long before a camera crew followed him into barns and garages.
American Pickers began on History in 2010 and quickly made Mike known across the country, but his wife did not become a regular cast member.
She went to some events and appeared in family photos, but the show was Mike’s job.
Home life stayed more private.
Charlie Arrived in 2012
The family changed in a big way in 2012 when Mike and Jodi Faeth welcomed a daughter named Charlie.
They married later that year in Tennessee.
Mike often spoke about how much being a dad meant to him.
In a Country Living home feature, he told a small story about old children’s cowboy boots.
He had sold one pair years earlier and wished he had kept them, so when his wife was pregnant and he found another pair, he kept them and began collecting more.
It was a simple sign of how much his new role as a dad had changed what felt special to him.
Charlie Was Born With a Cleft Lip and Palate
During the pregnancy, doctors found that Charlie had a cleft lip and cleft palate.
Mike later said both parents cried when they heard the news, but Charlie had surgery, received strong medical care, and recovered well.
The experience changed the way the family saw the same condition in other children. They knew their daughter had skilled doctors close by, while many families elsewhere did not have the same access to treatment.
That led to charity work.
Charlie’s Story Led to Operation Smile
The family began to support Operation Smile, which helps children born with cleft conditions. An Antique Archaeology report later covered a 2015 project built around a sculpture called Charlie’s Smile.
The piece was based on their daughter, and sales helped raise $10,000 for the group.
Charlie’s mother also spoke about what she had learned.
She said the same birth condition can be far more serious when a child cannot get good care.
For Jodi Faeth, this cause came from real family life, not from a TV campaign.
Then Came Her Own Cancer Fight
In 2013, the family faced another hard health problem.
Jodi Faeth was diagnosed with stage 2 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
She later said the news came as a shock because she had tried to live a healthy life and did not expect cancer, while Charlie was still very young.
Her mother later said life with a small child helped her cope.
Charlie still wanted to play, read, and listen to music, and those simple days gave her mother something to think about besides treatment.
Reports later said the cancer went into remission.
Mike marked six years cancer-free in 2020.
The Tennessee Home Mixed Work and Family
During the marriage, the family lived in a Tennessee home full of things Mike had found over the years.
Country Living photographed the family there in 2016. The photos showed old signs, bikes, motorcycles, furniture, and small finds from the road alongside family touches that made the space feel lived in.
His wife’s hats sat on old display stands.
Charlie’s room held vintage children’s items.
The home felt like a mix of Mike’s work and the family’s day-to-day life.
He could bring home a piece from a pick, while the rest of the house still felt built around raising a child.
They Married After Charlie Was Born
The couple married in Tennessee in September 2012, and court papers later gave the date as September 7.
Charlie had already been born earlier that year.
American Pickers had also been on TV for more than two years.
So the wedding came after two big changes.
They were new parents, and Mike was now a TV star, so the marriage began while the family was learning how to live with both changes.
She Stayed Outside the Cast
Mike became the public face of the family because of the show, while his wife stayed out of the main cast.
She appeared in photos and went to some public events, but she did not turn that link into a TV career of her own.
That is why many claims about her work history are hard to prove.
Some small biography sites give job titles and career details, but strong records are thin.
The best-known parts of her life are family, health, charity work, marriage, and divorce.
She Was Already a Mother Before Charlie
The divorce papers also showed that Charlie was not her only child, because reports on the case said her mother had another adult child from an earlier relationship.
That child was already grown and was not part of the custody case.
The fact adds useful family context without pulling a private adult into the spotlight.
It also shows that motherhood was already part of her life before Charlie arrived.
The Couple Split in 2020
After years together, the marriage began to end in 2020, with the couple listing June as their split date before she filed for divorce later that year.
The court papers used the term irreconcilable differences.
They also said the couple could no longer live together as husband and wife.
The papers said hopes of fixing the marriage were gone.
Those words are the clearest public reason for the split.
Neither side gave a long public account that blamed one single event.
The Divorce Became Public in 2021
News of the case spread in July 2021.
A Yahoo report based on PEOPLE’s court coverage confirmed the split date, filing date, wedding date, and reason in the papers.
At that time, Charlie was living with her mother.
The former couple then worked through the legal and financial parts of the split while also making plans for their daughter.
The Marriage Ended in December 2021
The divorce became final in December 2021, with reports based on the final papers giving December 6 as the date.
The deal covered homes, financial support, TV income, and care for Charlie, while Mike had already built a large business and property portfolio.
That made the money side of the divorce complex.
The family change was easier to see.
The marriage ended, but both parents still had a role in Charlie’s life.
Charlie Stayed at the Center
After the divorce, Jodi Faeth became Charlie’s main residential parent under the reported plan.
Mike also had parenting time.
He was required to pay child support and cover health care.
Mike kept speaking with warmth about being a father after the marriage ended.
Charlie remained the family link between both parents.
Jodi Faeth Today
Jodi Faeth is best understood through the parts of her life that are clear.
She shared many years with Mike Wolfe before and during the rise of American Pickers.
She became Charlie’s mother and helped guide her through early medical care.
The family then used that experience to support Operation Smile.
She later faced cancer and recovered.
Her marriage ended in 2021 after the couple had split the year before.
Since then, she has not built a public brand around the divorce.
Her story is mainly one of family, health, charity work, marriage, and change.
Read next: For another profile about a former spouse who shared the years around a famous career, read our story on Mary Marquardt, Harrison Ford’s first wife.
