Why Frankie Muniz Walked Off the Set ofMalcolm in the Middlefor 2 Episodes: 'It Was Worth It'

Mar. 15, 2025

Frankie Muniz.Photo:Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

Frankie Muniz’s titular character onMalcolm in the Middlewas absent for two consecutive episodes. Now, he is opening up about his reasoning why.

The former child star, who is currently appearing on the Australian edition ofI’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here,recently shared with his fellow castmates that he walked off the sitcom’s set for two whole episodes due to tensions on set amid ongoing tension.

“There were two episodes I’m not in. I walked off the set,” he said, according toNews.com.au. Per the outlet, Muniz told his costars that “certain people” had created a toxic environment on the sitcom’s set that made the cast and crew scared of them.

“Everyone was so afraid to stand up when certain people were controlling or rude or disrespectful,” he said in the episode. “Like, they walked on pins and needles.”

Though Muniz has tackled some acting parts since the series ended in 2006, he pivoted his career tobecome a race car driverand briefly co-hostedDancing with the Stars: JuniorsalongsideJordan Fisher. He’s also been candid about the problems he experienced as a child actor.

Last week, he toldNews.com.authat he felt that he never “fully fit in the Hollywood world” and was much happier after moving away from Los Angeles.

“I never felt like I fully fit in the Hollywood world, even though I was in the world,” he told the Australian outlet. “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?”

MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE.20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

“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 realized immediately that I started looking up,” he added. “I started enjoying looking at trees and birds in the sky. Going to the grocery store was a fun thing. You don’t get that in LA. It’s a miserable experience.”

Muniz shares his3-year-old son, Mauz, withwife Paige Price. Recently, theAgent Cody Banksstar said he would “never let my kid go into the business” to become an actor.

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“Not that I had a negative experience, because to be honest, my experience was 100% positive,” he explained in the clip. “But I know so many people, friends that were close to me, that had such insanely negative experiences.”

“I just think it’s an ugly world in general,” he added. “I never cared about rejection, but there’s a ton of rejection.”

source: people.com