Child star Frankie Muniz is blasting Dancing with the Stars for allegedly stretching the truth about what was really going on with his memory.
The Malcolm in the Middle star competed during Season 25 of the show. While he mostly enjoyed his time, he believed some of his words were taken out of context by producers.
In recent years, numerous reports said that Frankie had completely lost his memory and had no recollection of his childhood or acting career.
Not only did Frankie debunk the rumor, but he clarified how the myth got started in the first place.
Frankie joined the hosts of the Pardon My Take podcast where he discussed his time on DWTS and how the world came to believe he no longer had a memory.
He detailed the specific episode where his words were misconstrued and explained why he believes the things played out the way they did.
Frankie Muniz says he never lost his memory
On the podcast, Frankie explained how the show was preparing for the “Most Memorable Year” episode, and contestants were to share their favorite memories from a specific year.
Frankie was given the year 2001 but said he told producers he didn’t have anything to share because he didn’t remember what happened that year. To clarify, Frankie told the Pardon My Take hosts that because he had done so many things as a child actor, he didn’t recall specific details. However, he never actually lost his memory.
According to Frankie, his conversation with the producers on DWTS was misunderstood, and they edited his segment to make it appear that he had “zero memory of anything.” The exaggeration of his comments made his appearance for that episode more dramatic and also quickly spread through the media.
Frankie also went on to explain that he did experience some health issues including severe migraines and mini-stroke, which would impact his vision and speaking, and felt this made the rumor of memory loss more believable to the public.
DWTS makes changes ahead of the new season
Frankie was paired with professional dancer Witney Carson during his time on the show, but things have changed since his appearance.
Tyra Banks became the new host after Tom Bergeron left in 2019. While she seems to be doing well in the role, the show decided to add a co-host for the upcoming season.
Actor and former DWTS contestant Alfonso Ribeiro has signed on to stand next to Tyra and fulfill co-hosting duties. Alfonso has shared that he is excited to return to the ballroom and is happy to share the stage with his long-time friend, Tyra.
Dancing with the Stars is currently on hiatus.