Frankie Muniz upset his son in 'Malcolm in the Middle' reboot scene

KiMi Robinson, USA TODAYMon, April 13, 2026 at 1:13 PM UTC

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Frankie Muniz was so convincing when he reprised his role in the new "Malcolm in the Middle" reboot that he accidentally upset his son.

The 40-year-old actor's wife, Paige, and 5-year-old son Mauz were often on set with him as he filmed "Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair" in Vancouver. In the Hulu revival, Malcolm must confront years of lies that kept his family at an arm's length and allowed him to preserve his sanity. As Malcolm's carefully crafted world crumbled around him, Muniz's outburst in one scene unwittingly upset his kid.

"There's a scene where I'm talking about Malcolm's relationship with his family, and I talked about how crazy my family is and how I’ve got to stay away from them," Muniz tells USA TODAY. "Paige had to take him off set because he was like, 'Why doesn't Daddy like us?'"

Frankie Muniz, wife Paige Muniz and their son Mauz Mosley Muniz attend Hulu's "Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair" premiere at the DGA theater in New York City on April 7, 2026.

In a few different scenes, Malcolm can't help but revert back to an angry teenage boy who's exasperated with his family, including loving but bumbling dad Hal (Bryan Cranston) and stressed-out matriarch Lois (Jane Kaczmarek).

In the first episode, after his parents unexpectedly drop by and realize he'd kept his high school-aged daughter from them for over a decade, Malcolm yells at his parents, "You made me do this! This family's nonstop antisocial behavior and mindless belligerence and myopic priorities are toxic to me. Every single bad thing that happened to my life is your fault!"

"[Mauz] didn't understand that I was not talking about [him and Paige] because he doesn't know me as an actor," Muniz shares.

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Frankie Muniz's son considers his dad's job to be NASCAR racing

Mauz primarily sees his dad as a race car driver; Muniz, a lifelong racing enthusiast who returned to the profession full-time in 2023, now drives in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Since Mauz was born, Muniz has only taken on a few acting roles, including one-episode arcs in "The Rookie" and "New Amsterdam."

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The show's creator, Linwood Boomer, told USA TODAY that he wasn't able to reel Sullivan (seen here in 2007) back in despite his best efforts; the former actor is now working toward his master's degree at Harvard University. "Eric Sullivan hasn't been an actor for decades. I asked him to repeat [Dewey]. We still talk all the time. I love him, and he didn't want to be an actor anymore," Boomer says. "He didn't like [acting] 10 years ago, and he sure doesn't now. I had to respect that."

"He doesn't understand the concept of pretending stuff for TV yet. He doesn't watch a lot of shows," Muniz explains. "[Mauz] hasn't seen me as an actor, necessarily. He only knows me as a race car driver or being interviewed talking about me."

Having his real-life wife and son on set as he performed alongside his onscreen daughter (Keeley Karsten) and girlfriend (Kiana Madeira) was uncharted territory.

"That was an interesting dynamic of talking about how I love another woman, and not Mommy, and how my family's crazy," Muniz says.

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Muniz's wife and son make a cameo in 'Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair'

Muniz's family's set visits also resulted in an unplanned cameo in "Life's Still Unfair."

It's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment in the anniversary party, but Muniz's real-life family is seen dancing with the other revelers. Around eight minutes into the finale, Paige (in a form-fitting brown dress) faces away from the camera as she holds her sleepy-looking son, whose face is fully visible.

"They’re in there for just a second," Muniz says. "It's so rare to get to recreate something that people loved 20 years ago and get to go back into that world. I wanted to be able to look back and have them be a part of what made my life."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Frankie Muniz's son was upset by 'Malcolm in the Middle' reboot scene

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