Brenda Song has described herself and her co-stars on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody as 'underpaid and overworked,' while recalling an incident in which she lost consciousness during a hot tub scene. The actress discussed her experiences with former co-star Dylan Sprouse on his Wildmen podcast on 10 November, revisiting the demands of filming and the limited residual payments they said they received from the programme.
Song Recalls Collapsing During Filming
Song, 38, played wealthy hotel heiress London Tipton on the sitcom, which ran from 2005 to 2008. She reprised the role in its spinoff, The Suite Life on Deck, which aired from 2008 to 2011. Recalling a hot tub scene, Song said its heater malfunctioned, causing the water to become extremely hot. She described struggling to breathe, feeling intense heat in her chest, and wondering whether she was having a panic attack before seeing stars and losing consciousness.
Sprouse said other performers had complained about the temperature, while Song had remained quiet. He described the water as extremely hot after the heater malfunctioned. Some reports quoted him as putting the temperature at 250 degrees, although the figure has not been independently verified.
Song said she had not complained about the water before fainting. She and Sprouse recalled other people on the set reacting to the heat, but neither identified who was responsible for the reported equipment malfunction. Their discussion also turned to the hours they worked and how they were paid during the series.
Pay And Residuals Become Focus Of Discussion
Song described her Disney Channel experience as 'lovely' but said the workload and compensation were difficult. 'I think the only thing that was hard about that time was I feel like we were underpaid and overworked,' she said. She also acknowledged that Disney had given the cast a platform that helped launch their careers.
The performers also discussed residuals, payments actors may receive when productions are reused or distributed under applicable contracts and industry agreements. Sprouse previously said the only residual cheque he had received for The Suite Life of Zack & Cody was worth five cents, for a crossover episode with Hannah Montana.
Song also expressed frustration over the compensation arrangements, saying she felt the cast had effectively paid Disney to work for the network. Sprouse described the show as successful but said its budget did not reflect the work involved. Neither performer disclosed complete salary records or their original contracts during the discussion.
Former Cast Members Revisit The Series
The original sitcom followed twins Zack and Cody Martin, played by Dylan and Cole Sprouse, as they lived in a hotel with their mother. Song's London Tipton became one of its central characters, alongside Phill Lewis as hotel manager Marion Moseby. The programme later moved its cast into a cruise-ship setting for The Suite Life on Deck. Both shows were fixtures of Disney Channel's mid-2000s line-up.
Former cast member Phill Lewis, who played hotel manager Marion Moseby, also raised concerns about the show's compensation arrangements on a past episode of Sprouse's Wildmen podcast. Lewis alleged that production filmed additional scenes over several weeks and assembled them into separate episodes without providing the cast with additional payment or residuals. He also recalled initially rejecting Disney's salary offer before negotiating improved terms.
Song's comments were reported on 10 November 2026. Entertainment Weekly contacted Disney for comment but did not receive an immediate response. The performers' accounts of pay and filming conditions have not resulted in a reported court finding of wage violations or production negligence.
