Whatever Happened to Frankie Muniz?
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VOICE OVER: Elise Doucet
WRITTEN BY: Nathan Sharp
Whatever happened to Frankie Muniz? He was one of the most popular, and most acclaimed, child actors of the day, known primarily for his work in Malcolm in the Middle.
Anyone who grew up in the early 2000s knows the name Frankie Muniz. He was one of the most popular, and most acclaimed, child actors of the day, known primarily for his work in “Malcolm in the Middle.” His role as the titular Malcolm was widely praised, and he was nominated for an Emmy and two Golden Globes for his performance. But Frankie’s career wasn’t simply relegated to network television. His wild success on TV led to numerous movie roles, and he starred in films like “My Dog Skip,” “Big Fat Liar,” and the two “Agent Cody Banks” movies.
When “Malcolm in the Middle” ended in May 2006, Frankie was 20 years old and worth $40 million. That sort of money and lifestyle has been known to sink child actors, but Frankie was smart and resilient. He knew he had a good thing, and he knew he could retire and do whatever it is he wanted to do. So that’s exactly what he did. Following the horror movie “Stay Alive” in 2006, Frankie announced that he was stepping out of the limelight and taking a break from major Hollywood productions.
Instead, he decided to pursue his lifelong passion – race car driving. Muniz had been interested in racing ever since he was a child, and he even met racing legend Dale Earnhardt, right before his death on February 18, 2001. Despite watching one of his idols perish from the sport, Frankie continued to pursue his interest in racing. In 2004, shortly before the end of “Malcolm in the Middle,” he raced as a celebrity participant in Long Beach’s Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race.
After leaving “Malcolm” and acting behind, Frankie began racing full time. In 2007 he competed in the Atlantic Championship, a racing series that sees dozens of participants racing and tours throughout North America. He logged 351 laps throughout the Championship and landed in 22nd place. Driven by a desire to do better, he signed with a racing team called Pacific Coast Motorsports. It worked. In 2008 he placed eleventh, and later placed a career-high ninth while racing with Team Stargate Worlds.
Unfortunately, as is often the case, Frankie suffered terrible injuries while racing in 2009. Muniz quite graphically opened up about the crash to People, saying, “My car flipped a bunch and I crashed into a wall. In the end, I broke my back, ankle, four ribs and my hand. My thumb was dangling by the skin”. So, that was that for his racing career. That said, he did return to the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race in 2011, just two years after his horrible accident, and finished fourth.
With $40 million, you could easily spend the rest of your days lounging by the beach and sipping mimosas. Or traveling, if that’s your thing. But Frankie Muniz is the type of person who needs to be doing something. In his own words, “I don’t know how to operate when I don’t have to be somewhere”. As such, he didn’t want to just sit around while recuperating from his injuries. Deciding to pursue something he “always wanted in [his] life,” he joined a band named You Hang Up as their drummer. In 2012, he joined a Pennsylvania-based rock band called Kingsfoil.
It was around this time that Muniz began suffering from detrimental and confusing health problems. In 2012, he suffered what is called a transient ischemic attack, or in non-fancy doctor terms, a mini stroke. Like a regular stroke, these attacks are caused by a lack of blood flow to the brain. The effects are also largely the same, and Muniz has explained his symptoms in detail: “First, I lose my peripheral vision. And I see people but I can’t recognize them. I can see words but I can’t tell what they say. Then I start going numb”. Unlike regular strokes, these attacks typically only last a few minutes and leave no lasting or permanent effects.
Unfortunately, Muniz has continuously suffered from these mini strokes. He claims to have suffered about fifteen mini strokes and has visited numerous neurologists, none of whom have been able to help him. As such, he’s learned to accept and live with the condition, and when he feels an attack coming, he simply lays down and waits it out.
This, combined with numerous concussions he’s sustained throughout his life (including while racing cars), may have led to memory loss. To this day, Muniz has trouble remembering his years as a child star, including his time on “Malcolm in the Middle.” He told People that he has “no recollection” of certain people or major events in his life, but like his mini strokes, he’s learned to accept the condition.
Now, we say the concussions and strokes MAY have led to his condition because, well, Frankie doesn’t really know, either! He admits that he’s never asked a neurologist about the condition and simply assumes that it’s an unfortunate result of the concussions and strokes. He may be onto something, as the CDC reports that “repeated mild [brain injuries] occurring over an extended period of time [like nine concussions!] can result in cumulative neurological and cognitive deficits”. But, again, this is speculation.
Muniz hasn’t let his health conditions stop him from pursuing his passions. He is a driven man after all! In 2017, he began managing a band called Astro Lasso. That same year he returned to the spotlight by competing on season 25 of “Dancing with the Stars.” He was paired with Witney Carson, and the couple eventually placed third. For those curious, he was beaten by Lindsey Stirling & Mark Ballas and Jordan Fisher & Lindsay Arnold. This in turn led to a gig hosting “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors” alongside season 25 winner Jordan Fisher. Unfortunately, the show lasted just one season.
In November 2018, Muniz became engaged to his long-time girlfriend Paige Price. The loving couple have also gone into business together and bought an Arizona-based specialty shop called “Outrageous Olive Oils & Vinegars.” Frankie handles the logistics and business side of things while Paige handles the inventory and social media.
That said, Frankie isn’t done entertaining us – he can now be seen amusing the world through his hilarious Twitter account, and Vogue (yes, that Vogue) has called him “one of the funniest people currently tweeting”.
As for acting, who can tell. It seems like Muniz is perfectly happy doing bit roles here and there without returning to leading man status. And we can certainly respect that. Whatever he turns to next, it’s sure to be filled with passion and heart. Muniz doesn’t know how to do anything differently.
When “Malcolm in the Middle” ended in May 2006, Frankie was 20 years old and worth $40 million. That sort of money and lifestyle has been known to sink child actors, but Frankie was smart and resilient. He knew he had a good thing, and he knew he could retire and do whatever it is he wanted to do. So that’s exactly what he did. Following the horror movie “Stay Alive” in 2006, Frankie announced that he was stepping out of the limelight and taking a break from major Hollywood productions.
Instead, he decided to pursue his lifelong passion – race car driving. Muniz had been interested in racing ever since he was a child, and he even met racing legend Dale Earnhardt, right before his death on February 18, 2001. Despite watching one of his idols perish from the sport, Frankie continued to pursue his interest in racing. In 2004, shortly before the end of “Malcolm in the Middle,” he raced as a celebrity participant in Long Beach’s Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race.
After leaving “Malcolm” and acting behind, Frankie began racing full time. In 2007 he competed in the Atlantic Championship, a racing series that sees dozens of participants racing and tours throughout North America. He logged 351 laps throughout the Championship and landed in 22nd place. Driven by a desire to do better, he signed with a racing team called Pacific Coast Motorsports. It worked. In 2008 he placed eleventh, and later placed a career-high ninth while racing with Team Stargate Worlds.
Unfortunately, as is often the case, Frankie suffered terrible injuries while racing in 2009. Muniz quite graphically opened up about the crash to People, saying, “My car flipped a bunch and I crashed into a wall. In the end, I broke my back, ankle, four ribs and my hand. My thumb was dangling by the skin”. So, that was that for his racing career. That said, he did return to the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race in 2011, just two years after his horrible accident, and finished fourth.
With $40 million, you could easily spend the rest of your days lounging by the beach and sipping mimosas. Or traveling, if that’s your thing. But Frankie Muniz is the type of person who needs to be doing something. In his own words, “I don’t know how to operate when I don’t have to be somewhere”. As such, he didn’t want to just sit around while recuperating from his injuries. Deciding to pursue something he “always wanted in [his] life,” he joined a band named You Hang Up as their drummer. In 2012, he joined a Pennsylvania-based rock band called Kingsfoil.
It was around this time that Muniz began suffering from detrimental and confusing health problems. In 2012, he suffered what is called a transient ischemic attack, or in non-fancy doctor terms, a mini stroke. Like a regular stroke, these attacks are caused by a lack of blood flow to the brain. The effects are also largely the same, and Muniz has explained his symptoms in detail: “First, I lose my peripheral vision. And I see people but I can’t recognize them. I can see words but I can’t tell what they say. Then I start going numb”. Unlike regular strokes, these attacks typically only last a few minutes and leave no lasting or permanent effects.
Unfortunately, Muniz has continuously suffered from these mini strokes. He claims to have suffered about fifteen mini strokes and has visited numerous neurologists, none of whom have been able to help him. As such, he’s learned to accept and live with the condition, and when he feels an attack coming, he simply lays down and waits it out.
This, combined with numerous concussions he’s sustained throughout his life (including while racing cars), may have led to memory loss. To this day, Muniz has trouble remembering his years as a child star, including his time on “Malcolm in the Middle.” He told People that he has “no recollection” of certain people or major events in his life, but like his mini strokes, he’s learned to accept the condition.
Now, we say the concussions and strokes MAY have led to his condition because, well, Frankie doesn’t really know, either! He admits that he’s never asked a neurologist about the condition and simply assumes that it’s an unfortunate result of the concussions and strokes. He may be onto something, as the CDC reports that “repeated mild [brain injuries] occurring over an extended period of time [like nine concussions!] can result in cumulative neurological and cognitive deficits”. But, again, this is speculation.
Muniz hasn’t let his health conditions stop him from pursuing his passions. He is a driven man after all! In 2017, he began managing a band called Astro Lasso. That same year he returned to the spotlight by competing on season 25 of “Dancing with the Stars.” He was paired with Witney Carson, and the couple eventually placed third. For those curious, he was beaten by Lindsey Stirling & Mark Ballas and Jordan Fisher & Lindsay Arnold. This in turn led to a gig hosting “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors” alongside season 25 winner Jordan Fisher. Unfortunately, the show lasted just one season.
In November 2018, Muniz became engaged to his long-time girlfriend Paige Price. The loving couple have also gone into business together and bought an Arizona-based specialty shop called “Outrageous Olive Oils & Vinegars.” Frankie handles the logistics and business side of things while Paige handles the inventory and social media.
That said, Frankie isn’t done entertaining us – he can now be seen amusing the world through his hilarious Twitter account, and Vogue (yes, that Vogue) has called him “one of the funniest people currently tweeting”.
As for acting, who can tell. It seems like Muniz is perfectly happy doing bit roles here and there without returning to leading man status. And we can certainly respect that. Whatever he turns to next, it’s sure to be filled with passion and heart. Muniz doesn’t know how to do anything differently.
