Danielle Colby

Danielle Colby is an American television personality, burlesque performer, model, and antique enthusiast best known for her long-running co-starring role on the History Channel reality television series American Pickers. Born on December 3, 1975, in Davenport, Iowa, Colby gained widespread national recognition managing the daily office operations and logistics for Antique Archaeology, the antique business featured on the hit show.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Raised in Davenport, Iowa, Colby pursued a variety of creative and athletic endeavors prior to her television career. She owned and competed with a female roller derby team, the Big Mouth Mickies, for three years until an injury led her to retire from the sport. Inspired by live burlesque performances, she transitioned into vintage dance performance and founded her own professional burlesque troupe, Burlesque Le Moustache, performing under the stage name Dannie Diesel. She later established a burlesque performance academy in Chicago, focusing on body positivity and the preservation of historic dance arts.

Television and American Pickers

Colby's primary television breakthrough came through her close, long-time friendship with antique collector Mike Wolfe. When Wolfe developed the concept for American Pickers, which premiered on the History Channel in January 2010, he invited Colby to manage the front office of Antique Archaeology in Le Claire, Iowa. On the show, Colby became a fan-favorite figure, tracking down sales leads, coordinating travel routes for the hosts, and sharing her specialized knowledge of vintage clothing, textiles, and historical pop culture artifacts across dozens of seasons.

Other Ventures and Personal Life

Beyond her television work, Colby is an avid collector and historian of vintage burlesque costumes and performance memorabilia. She has established the Ecdysiast Arts Museum in Davenport to showcase historical performance attire and promote vintage arts. Additionally, she executive produced the 2016 documentary film Tempest Storm, which details the life of the iconic mid-century American burlesque artist. In her personal life, Colby has two children from a previous marriage and married photographer Jeremy Scheuch in 2024. She is also active in animal rescue advocacy and humanitarian projects.