By Philip Uwaoma
Updated
Find out whether it was a feud with Richard Rawlings or just crossroads that led Aaron Kaufman to leave Fast N' Loud.
Key Takeaways
- Gas Monkey Garage owner Richard Rawlings insists the shop can continue without fan-favorite mechanic Aaron Kaufman, but there's no denying Kaufman's departure took a toll on the show.
- Kaufman left Gas Monkey Garage due to a combination of personal and professional differences of opinion, as well as a desire to work on bigger project cars that couldn't be accommodated within the time and budget constraints of the TV show.
- After leaving Gas Monkey Garage, Kaufman started his own automotive shop, Arclight Fabrication, and returned to television with shows like Shifting Gears with Aaron Kaufman and Aaron Needs a Job. Despite their differences, Kaufman and Rawlings remain friends.
No one would blame you for thinking that Fast N' Loud's days got numbered after the lead mechanic, who also happened to be the biggest fan favorite in the show, split in 2017. Actually, the show trundled on for three more years after "The Bearded Wonder" Aaron Kaufman's departure. Similarly, no one would blame Gas Monkey Garage owner Richard Rawlings for insisting it's a disservice to the other GMG crew members to suggest the shop would suffer with Kaufman's departure.
"It is a big hit to GMG," said Rawlings in a blog post on gasmonkeygarage.com, "but please note that it would be an insult to everyone here at Gas Monkey who has been putting in the work these past few years to say that we can't do it without him."
That's true enough about the shop, but what about the show? Not every day you meet a guy with such amazing car restoration skills as Aaron Kaufman. Kaufman's departure certainly took a toll on the show, leaving the rumor mills with theories about what actually transpired behind the camera. Here, we reveal why the bearded Dallas mechanic left Gas Monkey Garage and what he's been up to.
Updated September 2023:We have updated this article with more details on Aaron Kaufman's exit from Fast N' Loud. We delve deeper into the real reason for what went down between Richard Rawlings and Kaufman and what 'the bearded wonder' is doing today.
Related: How Much Richard Rawlings Made By Selling His Awesome Car Collection
How Did Aaron Kaufman Join The Gas Monkey Garage?
Long before he became the bearded wonder and shot to international fame through the Discovery Channel series Fast N' Loud, Aaron Kaufman worked at a local Dallas garage. That's where he accidentally crossed paths with GMG owner Richard Rawlings. Kaufman's talent for tearing and rebuilding things was all too clear to Rawlings, who didn't waste time inviting him to join the team at GMG. And that's how fate brought Kaufman to Gas Monkey Garage.
Rawlings was right to dismiss any suggestion that Gas Monkey was done for because Aaron Kaufman threw in the towel. We say that because Gas Monkey existed roughly a decade before Kaufman joined the crew, where he quickly rose through the ranks to become the lead mechanic, thanks to his deep affinity with cars.
It stands to reason, however, that if drama and a bunch of arguing were kept away from the camera, then perhaps there was more to the story behind Kaufman's departure from GMG than the 'official' explanation that he couldn't deal with the intense deadlines anymore.
Rawlings wrote on Gasmonkeygarage.com,
Gas Monkey Garage is not one person, it's not two people; it's a team. AK helped me build GMG, and he helped build the team here, which is why I'm confident we will continue to crank out killer rides week after week. You know I like to keep the drama away from the cameras, and that's something I'll continue to strive for. You won't see a degenerating team or a bunch of arguing. We are about the cars, brand, and family.
In any case, Rawlings launched the Dallas-based Gas Monkey Garage in 2002. As you already know, the shop specializes in customizing vintage and hot rods sold to customers worldwide. In 2012, Rawlings took the activities of the shop to the Discovery Channel series Fast N' Loud.
Aaron Kaufman Was The Heart And Soul Of Gas Monkey Garage
It's easier to tear down than build, but what's even harder is building something better from the pieces that got torn down. That's exactly the sort of skill with which Aaron Kaufman helped catapult Gas Monkey Garage to international fame. Rawlings admitted, "Aaron has been a part of Gas Monkey Garage since day one, and it will be a painstaking process moving forward without his talents." But move on, they did.
Having been the nucleus of Gas Monkey Garage and, by extension, the Fast N' Loud TV show for fourteen years, we believe Rawlings when he wrote that Kaufman's departure "was not my decision and came completely out of left field." The best part is that Kaufman taught himself– hot-rodding, car mechanics, and fabrication well.
Related: Fast N' Loud Cars: 10 Coolest Rides Owned By The Gas Monkey Crew
Why Did Aaron Kaufman Leave Gas Monkey Garage?
Whatever fans thought was the real reason for his leaving Gas Monkey Garage, Aaron Kaufman put the issue to rest by baring it all in an interview with Art of Gears. He states,
I wanted to build cars that were that big or bigger, and then TV needed cars that were much smaller than that. On top of that, there were some growing personal issues and professional differences of opinion, and so I decided the time had come, and I could see the fork in front of me.
He also confirmed almost everyone's suspicion of a bit of bad blood, "some personal and professional differences of opinion," Kaufman called it. We understand what he means. Due to the time limit for each episode, the garage had to focus on smaller projects that could get done and dusted in a limited time. It's not hard to see how an environment like that can frustrate a brimming talent like Kaufman, especially if he has a few ideas he hoped to float.
Kaufman said, "The tipping point, that's the bottom end of the type of cars I want to build. The difficulty level of the car. It surpasses what can be done on TV in time and budget… That was the rub, the crossroads there. I wanted to build cars that were that big or bigger (referring to the Ecoboosted De Tomaso Pantera), and then TV needed cars that were much smaller than that… so I decided the time had come, and I could see the fork in front of me."
After His Exit From Fast N' Loud, What Is Aaron Kaufman Doing Today?
After splitting from Gas Monkey and Fast N' Loud in 2017, Kaufman started his automotive shop, Arclight Fabrication, in Dallas, Texas. This dream slate helped him with his dream of "bigger projects". Kaufman's Arclight Fabrications mainly manufactures and supplies aftermarket parts for the Ford F-100 pickup truck. Archlight continues to be Kaufman's main love and is up and running to date.
He also returned to television with two shows – Shifting Gears with Aaron Kaufman and Aaron Needs a Job. The first show (Shifting Gears with Aaron Kaufman) saw him and his hand-picked crew replicate the basic Fast N' Loud concept of restoring and improving performance cars. It had a focus on his work as owner of Arclight Fab. Two seasons are out, and it has received mostly positive reviews.
Aaron Needs a Job sees him tour the country and meet people working on automotive-related projects that are fascinating and challenging. This show has Kaufman as a boss at building cars and manages to do jobs he is not trained in.
After Gas Monkey Garage, Are Aaron Kaufman And Richard Rawlings Still Friends?
Kaufman did mention that there were a few personal and professional differences of opinion between him and the boss man. But it wasn't as messy as everyone assumed. Aaron Kaufman and Richard Rawlings have left behind all their indifference and are still friends today.
