Welcome To The Tipton
Dylan Sprouse Reveals His Shocking Suite Life Of Zack & Cody Residual Pay
He’s crunching the numbers on one of the show’s most iconic episodes.
Dylan Sprouse’s residual pay for The Suite Life of Zack & Cody couldn’t buy you a room at the Tipton — or really anything else.
During the Nov. 3 episode of his Wildmen Podcast, Sprouse and guest Phill Lewis (who played hotel manager Mr. Moseby) reflected on their experience making the show and some surprising behind-the-scenes details.
“The only residual check I’ve ever received for The Suite Life at all was a crossover episode with Hannah Montana... for five cents,” Sprouse said. “I’m not joking.”
Hannah Montana joined the world of Suite Life twice, for the specials That’s So Suite Life of Hannah Montana and Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana (on the spinoff series The Suite Life on Deck). For young viewers, these crossover specials were the definition of appointment TV — with the latter scoring 9.3 million viewers, the year’s most-watched scripted cable telecast at the time of its airing in July 2009, per The Hollywood Reporter.
“Imagine that. In a time where residuals would’ve been great, not a single paycheck for being arguably one of the most popular shows on television,” Sprouse said, going on to contextualize The Suite Life’s success against a TV backdrop that’s a little different than today.
“Back then, there weren’t any streaming services, right? The only things you could watch were a certain amount of channels,” he said. “And Disney Channel itself prided itself in being a channel where you could turn it on safely for kids, where there’s no advertisements, there’s no anything to cross over. All you’re gonna watch is shows aimed at that age demographic.”
Sprouse’s pay may not be what you’d expect from such a beloved series, but he did take something even more meaningful from his Suite Life days. Earlier in the podcast, the actor opened up about Lewis’ influence in his life — and how close they are more than 20 years after first sharing the screen.
“I love this human so, so much,” Sprouse said. “He is the coolest guy, to the point where I’m hanging out at his house on the weekends,” Sprouse told viewers. “We still talk every week. He’s like a second father figure to me. I really do think he’s one of the funniest, most talented guys alive, and a guy I truly attribute my love of acting for.”
