Dylan Sprouse refused to say a line in Disney series after deeming it 'disrespectful'

March 15, 2024

A former Disney star from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody has explained how Dylan Sprouse defended her during filming after jokes were written at her expense.

Kim Rhodes, who starred in the Disney series The Suite Life of Zack and Cody alongside twins Dylan and Cole Sprouse (who played Zack and Cody Martin respectively) as their mother Carey, explained that Dyan defended her when jokes were written into the script at her expense.

Dylan ‘skipped over’ his lines while filming an episode of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody

The 54-year-old portrayed Carey, a lounge singer who lived with her sons at the Tipton Hotel, between 2005 and 2008 before Zack and Cody went to study abroad in the follow-up series The Suite Life on Deck, in which Kim made guest appearances.

Speaking on 90s and 2000s podcast Back to the Best, she reminisced about one of her favorite memories. During the show’s run, the TV actress got pregnant and the scriptwriters kept putting fat jokes in about her character, but during one scene Dylan stood his ground and refused to say his line.

She explained: “One of my favorite memories is Dylan had a line that was a fat joke, and he just kept skipping over it. It was in the middle of a chunk of dialogue. So he kept skipping over this laugh line.

“Finally we get to in front of the studio audience, and he skips it. The executive producer screams “Cut.” It’s the director’s job to cut by the way,” she adds.

“He goes, “Cut. Dylan, say the line.” He goes, “I would not disrespect any woman that way let alone this woman. You write something funny, and I’ll say it.

“That’s my little man. They’re both my little men,” she said.

Kim said that both Cole and Zack defended her “all the way through.”

Acting was ‘never really my passion’ says Cole Sprouse

Cole Sprouse has been candid over the years about his and Dylan’s life in the entertainment industry over the years.

In a now-deleted Tumblr post, Insider reported that the celebrity had explained that they were “put into acting” by their mom for financial stability.

“My brother and I were put into acting when we were 8 months old by our mother because we needed money. I never made the decision to join the arts or acting specifically. And so it was never really my passion.”

Later, in a podcast episode of Call Her Daddy, Cole further delved into his and his brother’s early life and career. He said that their mom was financially “irresponsible ” due to addiction and her mental health. He says she spent all of their savings from the month they made from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.

The celebrity continued: “Both my brother and I went through a lengthy court battle at about 10, and custody was stripped from my mother and given to my father.” He added that their dad wanted them to be “normal kids.”

Their mom lost custody when they were 10 and they were put into the custody of their dad.

“I don’t think I’ve ever talked about this… When my father was given forced custody, we had pretty much lost everything from the youngest parts of our career. That would be Friends and Big Daddy,” he said. “My mother was an incredibly wonderful and artistic woman, but she was financially the most irresponsible woman ever.

“I think it was the consequence of some alchemy of addiction and mental instability, and it’s probably the greatest wound in my life.”

Zack and Cody can finally go to the Italian restaurant

Fans have recently joked about Cole and Dylan’s characters after the date mentioned in one of the show’s episodes finally arrived …15 years later.

In an episode that aired in January 2009, Zack and Cody are told that they can’t book a table at an Italian restaurant until November 16, 2023, with Cody exclaiming: “But that’s in 15 years!”

Naturally, on the day, fans took to social media (and the twins’ Instagram comments) to commemorate the episode and inform the men that their table was finally ready.

And in the sweetest move ever, the actress who played their waitress created a TikTok to celebrate.