Frankie Muniz has shed some light on a tense on-set environment on Malcolm in the Middle, saying he abstained from two episodes of the classic sitcom because of it.
Muniz is currently a contestant on the Australian edition of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here, where he shared the story. He didn’t name names or get into too many specifics, but did say that the behavior from “certain people” caused him to walk off the set for two episodes in protest.
“There’s two episodes I’m not in, ‘cause I walked off the set,” he said, per News.com.au.
“Everyone was so afraid to stand up when certain people were controlling or rude or disrespectful,” he explained. “Like, they walked on pins and needles. I remember being so mortified by watching people afraid to stand up for themselves, kind of like, ‘Say something!’ “
It got to the point, Muniz said, that he “didn’t care if they told me I was never going back, because it was worth it to me.” As fellow I’m a Celebrity contestant Candice Warner pointed out, it helped that Muniz was the star and title character of Malcolm in the Middle, and he did eventually return.
It’s unclear which episodes Muniz is referring to, considering he’s credited in all 151 episodes of Malcolm in the Middle. As Entertainment Weekly points out, however, there is one “clip show” episode in Season 4 that only has Muniz in archival footage.
Muniz mostly pivoted away from acting to focus more on being a racecar driver after Malcolm in the Middle wrapped up in 2006. Speaking further to News.com.au, he opened up about how he “never felt like I fully fit in the Hollywood world.”
“I was nominated for Emmys and Golden Globes, and I was going to all this stuff, and I was there, and I was like, how am I here?” he told the outlet. “I hated LA, so I kind of stayed in my own little world, my own little bubble. And moving to Arizona, I did it on a whim, and I realised immediately that I started looking up.”
Muniz, who was also known for appearing in movies like Big Fat Liar and Agent Cody Banks, has spoken in the past about health issues he suffered during his whirlwind childhood fame days as well. In 2017, he revealed in an episode of Dancing With the Stars that he suffered nine concussions in his youth, and didn’t remember much from his time on Malcolm in the Middle as a result. He would later note that his health issues were blown out of proportion, however, saying that he was doing so much at that time that “of course, I can’t remember all of it.”
Although Muniz’s main focus is no longer Hollwood, he has racked up a number of TV credits over the past few years, including in episodes of Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, New Amsterdam, and The Rookie. His most recent film role was in 2018 horror film The Black String.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
Laura Davis is an entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to Broadway, she offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
