Frankie Muniz Details Final Exchange With Dale Earnhardt Before Death

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Frankie Muniz’s final interactions with Dale Earnhardt still race around in his mind.

As the 25th anniversary of Dale Earnhardt’s death at the Daytona 500 approaches on February 18, 2001, Frankie is remembering the last time he spoke with the driver during that year’s race.

In the new FS1 documentary We’ve Lost Dale Earnhardt: 25 Years Later, the actor shared that he was likely one of the last people to speak with Dale Earnhardt on the day of his death. He also admitted that while he usually isn’t starstruck, he felt intimidated meeting Earnhardt, known as ‘The Intimidator’.

Frankie, age 40, was initially nervous, but Dale quickly calmed him down by sharing how much his family loved Malcolm in the Middle, the sitcom Frankie appeared in from 2000 to 2006.

Frankie recalled a heartwarming moment when the man expressed his gratitude, saying Frankie’s show had helped him bond with his daughter. He explained that they now make it a tradition to watch the show together on Sunday evenings.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., 51, and his sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller, 53, are the children of Dale and his first wife, Brenda Lorraine Gee. He also has a daughter, Taylor Nicole Earnhardt, 38, with his second wife, Teresa Earnhardt, and a son, Kerry Earnhardt, 56, with his third wife, Latane Brown.

Frankie Muniz also shared some advice he received: ‘Enjoy the moment, enjoy the experience, because you never know when it will be over.’ He said he only spoke to the person for about three minutes, but those few minutes had a lasting impact on his life, especially considering where he is now. He was at the race that day filming a segment for MTV’s Diary.

Things quickly went downhill after their encounter. Dale, only 49 years old, crashed into the wall on the last lap of the race after a collision with another driver. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was sadly pronounced dead that evening. He is survived by his four children.

Frankie later began racing professionally in 2023, and remarkably, his first race was at Daytona International Speedway – exactly 22 years after Dale’s death.

Honestly, hearing him talk about it just gets me! It was everything to him, finding that love for racing, and he said it so perfectly. He’d have dropped everything – everything – just for a chance to be part of the incredible world of NASCAR that this legend helped create. It’s just… amazing to think about. He built something magical, and he knew it!

Besides racing, Frankie has been busy with his family—he and his wife, Paige Price, have a 4-year-old son named Mauz—and is getting ready for the new Malcolm in the Middle series on Disney+, where he’ll be playing the main character again.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve been following the buzz around the upcoming reboot – it’s hitting screens on April 10th! – and I was surprised by something Frankie recently shared. He actually voiced a pretty controversial opinion about the character he’s so well known for, and it’s definitely got people talking.

Frankie recently told TopMob News that looking back on the show, he thinks Malcolm was the least compelling character. He admitted that while filming, he didn’t particularly care for Reese, but now, watching from a viewer’s perspective, Reese is actually his favorite. He explained that gaining distance from the show allows you to see things in a new light.

Want to know what the stars of Malcolm in the Middle are doing now? Find out before the new show begins!

As someone who’s followed a lot of young stars, it was amazing to watch Frankie Muniz become a household name! After his breakout role as Malcolm, he quickly became one of the biggest teen actors in Hollywood – and was earning a lot for it. He starred in some seriously fun movies, like Big Fat Liar and Agent Cody Banks, which everyone was talking about.

Shortly after Malcolm’s retirement in 2006, 34-year-old Muniz admitted he’d recently become anxious about growing up. He said he hadn’t feared aging until the previous year, when he started to think about the responsibilities of adulthood. He expressed hope for continued success in his career, but also accepted that it might not last, stating, “If it’s not meant to be, then it’s not.”

Oh my gosh, you won’t BELIEVE everything he’s done! After being, like, the biggest star ever, he actually left acting to become a race car driver! Can you even imagine?! And then, get this, in 2017 he was on Dancing With the Stars and came in THIRD! Seriously, he’s amazing at everything! And it didn’t stop there – he ended up hosting the Juniors version of DWTS! It was so sad though, because while he was on the show, he talked about how he actually can’t remember much from his time on the sitcom that made him famous. It’s just… heartbreaking, but he’s still perfect!

In 2018, Frankie Muniz proposed to his girlfriend, Paige Price. Together, they launched an olive oil business. They married in February 2021 and welcomed their son, Mauz Mosley Muniz, the following month.

Before becoming famous for his role in Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston first gained recognition playing Hal Wilkerson, the father in the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. He was nominated for an Emmy Award three times during the show’s six seasons.

Bryan Cranston is famous for his unforgettable role as Walter White, the chemistry teacher who becomes a drug lord, in the hit TV series Breaking Bad. He played the part for five years, winning four Emmy Awards and forming a strong friendship with his co-star, Aaron Paul. In 2019, the two actors surprised fans by launching their own brand of mezcal instead of revisiting Breaking Bad, though Cranston did make a brief appearance in El Camino, the Netflix sequel to the series.

After his successful television work, Bryan Cranston received widespread praise for his film roles in movies like Trumbo (which earned him his first Academy Award nomination) and Isle of Dogs. He also starred as President Lyndon B. Johnson in the HBO movie All the Way, a performance that won him a Screen Actors Guild Award. Notably, All the Way was originally a popular Broadway play, for which Cranston won a Tony Award. He later won another Tony in 2019 for his performance in the stage production of Network.

In 2016, Bryan Cranston told TopMob News he’d love to see a revival of Malcolm in the Middle. He explained he really missed the cast and enjoyed staying in touch with them, noting that the young actors were thriving and Jane Kaczmarek was doing well.

While playing Lois on the Wilkerson, Kaczmarek received seven Emmy nominations – a record for the most nominations in a single category without actually winning one.

Following the conclusion of Malcolm in 2006, Janeane Garofalo appeared in a number of television series that didn’t last long, including Help Me Help You, Whitney, and Raising the Bar. She also had memorable guest roles on popular shows like Law & Order: SVU, The Comeback, The Big Bang Theory, and The Middle. Her most recent television appearance was as a guest star on This Is Us.

Fans of Malcolm in the Middle got a surprise when the Breaking Bad DVD set included an alternate ending. This ending showed the entire Breaking Bad series was actually a dream Hal (Bryan Cranston) was having, and he woke up next to Lois in bed.

As someone who keeps up with Hollywood families, it’s interesting to see how connections play out! You might recognize me from playing Francis on Malcolm, but a lot of people don’t realize I’m Danny Masterson’s younger brother – Danny, as in, the star of That ’70s Show. And for a long time, my personal life was pretty intertwined with that show too – I actually dated Laura Prepon, Danny’s co-star, for seven years before we went our separate ways back in 2007.

While acting on the show, Masterson also appeared in films like Scary Movie 2 and Wuthering Heights. He was even considered for the role of Will Turner in the original Pirates of the Caribbean, though Orlando Bloom ultimately got the part. His last acting role was in two episodes of the SyFy series Haven in 2014, after which he focused on his career as a DJ, performing as DJ Chris Kennedy.

He married actress Yolanda Pecoraro in 2019, and they had their first child, Chiara Darby Masterson, on April 3, 2021.

Reese, who played the playful second brother for over 150 episodes, has since moved behind the camera. Now 34, he co-founded Virgin Produced, the entertainment production company of Virgin Group. He also enjoys fishing, as seen on his Instagram.

Here’s a bit of a boast: he tweeted that Beyoncé once complimented his eyes, and he claims it’s true! Also, interestingly, he used to own the house Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson lived in during their reality show, Newlyweds, after they separated.

Before Jamie joined the family, Sullivan was the youngest brother and played the character Dewey throughout all 151 episodes of the show.

Now 29 years old, Sullivan stopped acting in 2010. Her final role was in the film Twelve, where she appeared alongside 50 Cent, Chace Crawford, and Emma Roberts.

Following her role as Caroline Miller, Malcolm’s teacher, during the first two seasons of the show, Burns published her first book, It Hit Me Like a Ton of Bricks, in 2007. She later appeared in multiple episodes of the TBS series Search Party.

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2026-02-13 22:48