Dylan Sprouse has always come off as a nice guy, and that persona is likely what endeared him to viewers when he was a child star. The former Disney star played Zack Martin on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and The Suite Life on Deck from 2005 to 2011. Although he has been up to a lot since his Suite Life days, many still discuss his days working on Disney Channel's fan-favorite franchise. On that note, his on-screen mom, Kim Rhodes, recently admitted that the standup kid refused to make a fat-shaming joke at her expense.
The actress was a guest on the Back to the Best podcast, where she opened up about starring on the classic kids' sitcom. With that, Kim Rhodes discussed what it was like working with Dylan and Cole Sprouse during their formative years. The Supernatural alum couldn't help but recall how Dylan defended her when it came to a particular joke and refused to say it on numerous occasions. Rhodes provided context, explaining that the situation transpired amid her pregnancy:
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. 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 skipping it and skipping it and skipping it. And finally, we get to [taping] in front of the studio audience, and he skips it, and the executive producer screams, '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.
Disney Channel has had some pretty questionable puns over the years -- some of which haven't aged too well. It's admirable that Dylan Sprouse would go to bat for his co-str in that instance despite how many times someone yelled “Cut,” as Rhodes mentioned. Also, that was incredibly brave of him to publicly call out the powers that be in such a way. Ultimately, the goal of a sitcom is to convey comedy but, ideally, body-shaming is something folks should avoid. That's something I think we can all agree on.
Dylan Sprouse was only 13 when the show started and, even then, he was a little gentleman, it seems. To even be thinking like that at that age, especially in the industry, is so important. While he may not be rewatching The Suite Life all the time, but I'd like to think that those who do will remember this act of chivalry as they continue to do so.
Sadly, there have been other instances of body-related issues connected to Disney Channel productions. For instance, Bella Thorne was nearly fired over wearing a bikini to the beach. Demi Lovato has also been quite open in the past about how her body image suffered during her time with Disney. All of that even played into a Shake It Up episode getting pulled.
Those hurdles aside though, those actors and many others have managed to thrive in their post-Disney Channel years both personally and professionally. That's true for Dylan Sprouse as well. He tied the knot with model Barbara Palvin over the summer after dating for six years. It did take some time, though, as Vogue reported that Sprouse slid into her DMs after they met at an event and Palvin tried to ghost him -- only for her to end up visiting him on set six months later in China. In addition to his marriage, Sprouse also continues to act and has other ventures. It's great to see him doing well and to hear that he's been an upstanding man for some time.
Fans can see all the charm he had as a kid in the Suite Life shows by streaming them with a Disney+ subscription. Anyone looking for more recent small-screen offerings can check out the 2023 TV schedule.
