Frankie Muniz says that he’s never touched a drop of alcohol in his 38 years.
The “Malcolm in the Middle” star, who has since turned his career into professional race car driving, appeared on Mayim Bialik’s mental health podcast “Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown.”
During his appearance, Muniz reflected on his car racing career and his decision to leave the entertainment industry.
He also shared that despite years in the entertainment industry and having family members who drink, he’s never consumed alcohol or tried drugs.
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The conversation about Muniz’s sobriety began when the “Jeopardy!” host asked why he avoids drinking.
“Were you raised in a tradition that did not drink?” she asked
“I tried to figure out why I didn’t because I don’t have a reason. It wasn’t, like, a religion,” he explained, adding that his parents revealed to him when he was older that they used to be heavy smokers.
“Now I talk to my dad about it and my mom, and they’re like, ‘We smoked pot every single day. You just didn’t know,’” he said, noting, “Every family member in my family drinks. And that’s what they do for fun.”
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The actor went on to share that for some time, he thought “people who smoked pot were criminals” on crime reality series.
He shared that he made the conscious decision to avoid alcohol when he was 18 and around it for the first time.
“In my mind, I felt like I had made it so long without it, I was like, ‘Well, I’m not going to start now,’” he shared. “Even though I was only 18.’”
The actor added that he became more motivated to avoid drinking when he realized others reactions to his turning down a drink.
“I couldn’t believe everyone’s reactions when I said I don’t drink. ‘Oh, we’re at a club, we have a bottle. You want a drink?’ ‘No, I don’t drink. I’m good with water.’ Everyone was either shocked or appalled that I didn’t drink. Or they’d be like, ‘Wow, that’s so strong of you.’”
“I was always kind of like, ‘It’s so weird that people have such a strong reaction to me not drinking,’” he continued. “Like, who cares? I don’t care what you do. Why do you care so much about me?’ I don’t know if I made a conscious decision, but it just stuck with me that I was never gonna drink or do anything.”
The actor added that now that he’s 38, he’d start drinking that night before adding, “Only kidding.”
Muniz has come a long way from the child star he used to be. In addition to being a race car driver, he has been married to his wife since 2020 and has a child.
Muniz has spoken about his health struggles in the past.
Here’s what we know.
November 2012 — Muniz had a ministroke
In an interview with People, the former actor shared that the incident occurred while he was riding on his motorcycle.
“I thought I had something on the visor of my helmet. I couldn’t focus out of my right eye,” Muniz said at the time.
According to Muniz, the ministroke happened after he’d finished riding and returned home.
“I was really dizzy and in a lot of pain in my whole body and my head,” he explained. “My hands were numb. I didn’t really have good balance and I was almost dropping the bike. I never had this before. ... I felt like I was getting stabbed in the head — the worst headache you could ever think of. I couldn’t see anything.”
November 2013 — Muniz suffered a second ministroke
Muniz was 27 years old when he tweeted that he’d had a mini-stroke.
“Almost a year to the day, I experienced another mini-stroke,” he wrote in his tweet. “Hopefully, that will be the last. Miserable.”
This article first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
