Brenda Song Reveals the Startling Truth About What It Was Like Working on ‘The Suite Life of Zack & Cody’

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Brenda Song.

Actress and former child model Brenda Song has revealed the startling truth about what it was like to work on the Disney Channel teen sitcom “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.”

Song, 38, the long-term partner of “Home Alone” star Macaulay Culkin, played London Tipton in the popular series for 87 episodes from 2005 until 2008. It was a role she reprised on shows like of “The Suite Life on Deck,” “Wizards of Waverly Place,” “Hannah Montana,” and various spin-offs.

With the likes of Cole Sprouse, Dylan Sprouse, Ashley Tisdale, Phill Lewis, and Kim Rhodes also featuring, the set of the show looked like a happy place. However, Song has revealed the harsh reality.

She explained the situation, along with her aformentioned former co-star Dylan Sprouse, on the Tuesday, November 10 episode of his “Wildmen” podcast.

Brenda Song Felt ‘Overworked & Underpaid’ on ‘The Suite Life’

In her chat with former co-star Dylan Sprouse, Brenda Song boldly spoke of her time on “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.” She told him, “I look at that time and I was like, we paid them.”

Per E! News, Song was keen to emphasize that she and the cast primarily had a “lovely time” filming the show. However, it was somewhat soured by something she still feels irritated about today.

Song said, “The only thing that was hard about that time was I feel like we were underpaid and overworked.”

Referring to the fact that she believes the cast essentially paid Disney to be a part of the show, she added, “We basically did. And the fact that we shot hundreds of episodes and our kids should be set.”

Song is now a mom to two children. Per People, they are sons Dakota, who was born on April 5, 2021, in Los Angeles, and Carson, who was born sometime in December 2022 (the exact details of his birth are a little more sketchy).

Sprouse agreed with Song’s assessment. He responded to her by saying, “If our show existed on any other network television channel at that time, we would have seven generations of children that would not have to worry about what they do. The amount of income would be completely different.”

Luckily, being overworked and underpaid back in the 2000s hasn’t hampered Song’s long-term success.

Brenda Song Is Still Thriving

As of 2026, Brenda Song reportedly has a net worth of around $8 million (per Celebrity Net Worth). That’s the kind of money most people can only dream of. With that in mind, her time on “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” hasn’t been overly detrimental.

Her recent television credits include an ongoing role in the Netflix sports comedy series “Running Point” and an ongoing voice role in the adult animated historical action television series “Blue Eye Samurai” on the same platform. She also appeared in an episode of the ABC sitcom “Shifting Gears” last year.

Movie-wise, Song’s most recent credits include 2024’s drama “The Last Showgirl” and sci-fi action comedy “Operation Taco Gary’s.” In 2025, she also had a voice role in the animated buddy cop comedy film “Zootopia 2.”

In 2027, she will appear in Eva Longoria’s comedy film “The Fifth Wheel,” which is set to release on Netflix.

We wish Brenda Song all the very best with everything she does. Moreover, we look forward to all of her upcoming work.

Brenda Song’s filmography info was courtesy of IMDb.