Brenda Song opens up about the lasting toll of her Disney Channel years

The actress says the network gave her a platform, despite the difficulties she experienced

Brenda Song has reflected on the pressures of working as a young actor on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, revealing that the demanding schedule and pay left her with mixed feelings about her time on the Disney Channel sitcom.

Speaking on the Wildmen podcast, hosted by her former co-star Dylan Sprouse and Brendan Columbus, Song described the experience as largely positive but acknowledged that some aspects were difficult.

“I always say this about my time at Disney, is like, I know everybody has their own journey,” she said, adding that she had a “boring tale” and enjoyed much of her time on the show. However, she also said she felt the cast had been “underpaid and overworked”.

Song recalled one particularly frightening incident while filming a scene involving a hot tub. The equipment reportedly malfunctioned and became extremely hot. Sprouse said the water reached 250 degrees.

The actress remembered struggling to breathe as her chest began to feel hot. She initially wondered whether she was experiencing a panic attack before recalling seeing stars and losing consciousness.

Despite her criticism of the working conditions, Song acknowledged the opportunities the sitcom gave her. “Disney did give us a platform to be sitting here right now,” she said, explaining why she found it difficult to complain about the experience.

Her comments follow Sprouse’s own discussion of the show’s funding and residual payments. Earlier this month, he described the production as extremely underfunded and claimed that the only residual payment he had received for the series was five cents for a crossover episode with Hannah Montana.

The Suite Life of Zack and Cody aired from 2005 to 2008, following twin brothers Zack and Cody as they lived in the Tipton Hotel. Song played London Tipton, the hotel’s wealthy teenage heiress. The series later spawned The Suite Life on Deck, which ran from 2008 to 2011.