Disney star Brenda Song revealed she passed out on the set of “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” after a hot tub heater malfunctioned, leaving her underpaid and overworked alongside her co-stars.
- Brenda Song lost consciousness during production because a hot tub on set was accidentally heated to 250 degrees.
- Song and former co-star Dylan Sprouse both confirmed that the cast of the hit Disney Channel series does not receive residuals.
- Song stated that while she appreciates the platform Disney provided, she feels the young cast was underpaid and overworked during the 2005 to 2008 run.
The alarming health scare happened during the filming of the popular Disney Channel sitcom, pagesix.com reported. Song recalled feeling severe chest heat and heavy breathing, initially mistaking the symptoms for a panic attack before losing consciousness entirely, according to tmz.com.
“I just remember breathing heavy and my chest felt really hot. I just went, ‘Am I having a panic attack?’ And then all of a sudden I remember stars and gone,” Song said on Dylan Sprouse’s “Wildmen” podcast.
Her former co-star Dylan Sprouse noted that the hot tub was accidentally set to a scorching 250 degrees. While other cast members complained about the extreme temperature, Song remained quiet until she collapsed. “If you didn’t pass out, you wouldn’t have said anything,” Sprouse recalled on the podcast. Sprouse added that Song “never made a peep about working conditions” until the medical emergency made the danger undeniable.
Beyond the physical hazards on set, the conversation turned to the long-term financial compensation for the show’s leads. Song and Sprouse both confirmed they do not receive residuals from the series, which aired from 2005 to 2008 and included the spinoff “The Suite Life on Deck,” running through 2011. Song played ultra-rich hotel heiress London Tipton throughout the franchise.
Reflecting on the compensation structure of the era, Song admitted she feels the young actors “were underpaid and overworked.” She vented that everyone who worked on the show should be financially set for life, noting that if the series had aired on a different network, the cast would have multiple homes and generational security.
Despite these frustrations, Song acknowledged to listeners that the Disney network gave her the platform that launched her career, making it complicated to air grievances about the past.
| Show Title | Original Run | Network | Key Cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Suite Life of Zack and Cody | 2005–2008 | Disney Channel | Brenda Song, Dylan Sprouse, Cole Sprouse, Ashley Tisdale |
| The Suite Life on Deck | 2008–2011 | Disney Channel | Brenda Song, Dylan Sprouse, Cole Sprouse |
Song now shares two sons with her fiancé Macaulay Culkin, balancing her family life with a career built on the foundational success of her early Disney years.
