Disney star Brenda Song recalls passing out on set amid brutal working conditions: ‘Underpaid and overworked’

See more of our coverage in your search results. Brenda Song revealed she fainted on the set of “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” due to a malfunction with the hot tub heater. “I just remember breathing heavy and my chest felt really hot. I just went, ‘Am I having a panic attack?'” Song recalled on former co-star Dylan Sprouse’s “Wildmen” podcast on Tuesday. “And then all of a sudden I remember stars and gone,” Song, 38, added. Brenda Song said she passed out on the set of “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” due to a malfunction with the hot tub heater. Wildmen Podcast/Youtube Song (seen here on the Disney Channel show) said she thought she was having a panic attack before she fainted. ©Disney Channel/courtesy Everett / Everett Collection Sprouse, 34, said everyone else inside the hot tub — which was accidentally set to 250 degrees — “started to complain” about the severe heat, but Song, who “never made a peep about working conditions,” was unbothered. But Song had a “full theatrical” moment once she passed out, her younger co-star remembered. “If you didn’t pass out, you wouldn’t have said anything,” Sprouse said. “At the same time, everybody on the set, once you passed out, went, ‘Oh s–t, this is really real.'” Dylan Sprouse (pictured here with Song, brother Cole and Ashley Tisdale) said Song “never made a peep about working conditions.” ©Disney Channel/courtesy Everett Song and Sprouse both confirmed they don’t get residuals from the Disney show. ©Disney Channel/courtesy Everett “People can have third-degree burns on them, but unless Brenda passed out, it wasn’t real,” he joked. Later in the discussion, Song backed up Sprouse’s claims that the stars of the show don’t receive residuals from Disney. Song said while she “had a lovely time” shooting the series, which aired from 2005 to 2008, she feels the cast “were underpaid and overworked.” “I look back on it, I was like, ‘Oh my God, we did actually pay them to work. We basically did,” Song said. Song (seen here with Cole Sprouse) said she feels the cast “were underpaid and overworked.” ©Disney Channel/courtesy Everett Song vented that everyone who worked on the show should be financially “set” for life. ©Disney Channel/courtesy Everett Want more celebrity and pop culture news? Start your day with Page Six Daily. Thanks for signing up! Song, who has two sons with fiancé Macaulay Culkin, vented that everybody who worked on “Suite Life” should be financially “set” for life. Sprouse argued that if the show was on a different network, “we would have seven generations of children that would not have to worry about what they did.” “We would have seven homes,” Song added. Song (seen here with fiance Macaulay Culkin) said if the show was on a different network everyone “would have seven homes.” Getty Images But Song (seen here with Culkin and their two sons on Halloween 2026) acknowledged that Disney is responsible for her success. Daily Stardust / BACKGRID However, Song recognized that the show catapulted her to fame. “Disney did give us a platform to be sitting here right now,” she said. “So it’s very hard to complain about certain things.” Song played ultra-rich hotel heiress London Tipton on all three seasons of “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” and its spinoff, “The Suite Life on Deck,” which ran from 2008 to 2011. Community Guidelines Welcome to the Page Six Community! Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas in a safe space. In order to do so, we've created a simple set of rules that will improve your experience. Simply put, keep it civil. Your post will/might be rejected if it contains: Spam Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language and threats of any kind Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author User accounts will/might be blocked if we notice: Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected Racist, sexist, or homophobic comments Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk So, how can you be a power user? Stay on topic and share your passion. Feel free to elaborate to get your point across. 'Like' or 'Dislike' when you are filled with emotions! Protect your community. Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules. Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Don't forget, freedom of speech is not the freedom of reach!