Frankie Muniz Left ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ Set To “Stand Up” Against Disrespect

Former child actor Frankie Muniz is currently competing on Australia’s I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here. On Monday’s episode, he shared a story about the Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle, in which Muniz played the title character from 2000 to 2006 for a total of seven seasons.

“Here’s a story no one knows, ready? There’s two episodes I’m not in, ‘cause I walked off the set.”

Muniz Walked Off Set Due to Inappropriate Behavior From Crew Members

Muniz is credited in all 151 episodes of Malcolm in the Middle, but in two episodes, he appears only in archival footage. Muniz said he walked off set due to the unacceptable behavior of some of the crew members.

“Everyone was so afraid to stand up when certain people were controlling or rude or disrespectful, like they walked on pins and needles,” he explained. “I remember being so mortified by watching people afraid to stand up for themselves, kind of like, ‘Say something!’ I didn’t care if they told me I was never going back, because it was worth it to me, you know what I mean?”

His I’m a Celebrity co-star Candice Warner noted that Muniz’s status as the show’s lead gave him the influence to make changes on set.

“The show is based around you so they needed you, so you had that power,” she said.

“That helped,” Muniz agreed. “That helped.”

Muniz Is a Jack of All Trades

Muniz landed his first starring role in a feature film as Willie Morris in the 2000 family drama film My Dog Skip, then went on to voice the character Stripes in the 2005 sports comedy Racing Stripes, and even starred opposite Jon Foster in the supernatural horror film Stay Alive.

When he isn’t acting, Frankie Muniz pursues a successful open-wheel racing career. He currently competes part-time alongside occasional acting roles in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 35 Ford Mustang for Joey Gase Motorsports.

A man of many talents, Muniz was the drummer of the indie rock band Kingsfoil from 2012 to 2014.

Muniz began dating Paige Price in 2016, whom he then married four years later. The couple share a son together, born in March 2021.