“The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” actor Kim Rhodes, who played the spunky mother of the titular twins on the hit Disney Channel series, revealed pre-teen stars Dylan and Cole Sprouse often defended her on the show’s set.
Speaking on the “Back to the Best” podcast last week, Rhodes recalled a particular moment when Dylan Sprouse refused to tell a “fat joke” at her expense.
“They defended me all the way through. I got pregnant when I was on the show, and of course the show dealt with it by making fat jokes,” Rhodes said. “One of my favorite memories is Dylan had a line that was a fat joke, and he just kept skipping over it. It was like in the middle of a chunk of dialogue, so he kept skipping this laugh line … And finally we get in front of the studio audience and he skips it, and the executive producer screams, ‘Cut! Dylan, say the line!’ And he goes, ‘I would not disrespect any woman that way, let alone this woman. You write something funny and I’ll say it.'”
Despite the Sprouse twins’ young age — they were just 12 years old when “Suite Life” premiered in 2005 — Rhodes said the brothers were fiercely protective of the other actors during the show’s production.
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“They’re both my little men,” Rhodes said. “They both were very protective of everyone on set. It wasn’t just me … The fact that they, at such a young age, understood that it was their job to make sure everybody else was able to do their job, was really impressive.”
Disney Channel did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment. Listen to Rhodes’ full “Back to the Best” interview here.
