ABC has found its newest “Bachelorette” in “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” reality star Taylor Frankie Paul.
Paul, who appeared in the popular Hulu series, revealed her upcoming foray into Bachelor Nation on Wednesday’s episode of Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast. “It has not hit me. Right now in this moment, I’m just thinking about it and it’s not real,” she told Cooper.
She added: “It’s not real. It’s not going to be until I have the limos [full of suitors] pulling up.”
The 31-year-old #MomTok influencer-turned-reality TV personality breaks a longtime norm for the “Bachelor” franchise. Incoming leads on “The Bachelor” or “The Bachelorette” have historically been contestants from previous seasons. Paul, on the other hand, has not.
Don’t mistake her for a reality TV rookie, though.
Paul was announced as the newest “Bachelorette” a year after “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” became a buzzworthy hit. The series follows a group of Utah-based TikTok influencers who became the subject of social media scandal when Paul announced she and her then-husband had participated in “soft swinging” and were going their separate ways. The series’ debut chronicled the fallout and explored how its young, modern stars navigate the traditionalist culture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Speaking to Cooper, Paul said she once thought the “Bachelorette” gig was “unattainable” and shared how she thinks she landed the part. She said she had been open on social media about being single and her fans began making the case for her to become the series’ next star. Ultimately, she received the invitation.
She said she initially hesitated to accept, citing her co-parenting commitments. Paul shares a daughter and son with her ex-husband, and another son with an ex-boyfriend. She explained that she tapped her inner circle to help care for the children, voicing her determination to “make it work.”
Paul is the latest “Mormon Wives” star to cross over to ABC programming. “Dancing With the Stars” announced in July that Paul’s fellow #MomTok-ers Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt would take the dance floor for Season 34. Disney owns both “Mormon Wives” streamer Hulu and “Bachelorette” and “DWTS” home network ABC.
“The Bachelorette” won’t return until 2026, but viewers can catch Paul beforehand when “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” Season 3 premieres Nov. 13 on Hulu.
FRANKIE Bridge has broken down in tears on the tube amid her ongoing feud with Myleene Klass.
Loose WomenpanellistFrankie, 36, took to her TikTok page this weekend to share a teary video where she looked incredibly sad.
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Frankie Bridge broke down in tears on the tubeCredit: tiktok
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She was seen tearing up in a new videoCredit: TikTok/@frankiebridge
The former star of The Saturdays was seen breaking down in tears while standing on the mode of public transport.
“When you start crying on the tube…
“But it’s okay, because now you get to pretend you’re in a music video,” Frankie penned over the top of the video.
In the caption, she also wrote, “Anyone else like to pretend they’re in a music video on the train?”
The music that played over the top of the video was Too Little Too Late by JoJo.
Fans flocked to the comments section, with many seemingly concerned for Frankie.
“What are you crying for?” asked one.
“Are you ok?” quizzed another.
A third person wrote: “If I was there I would have give u a hug.”
“Life is tough just remember Frankie you are doing your best and tomorrow is another day,” penned a fourth.
Frankie Bridge reveals battle with ‘uncontrollable anxiety’ and ‘sadness’ amid bitter Myleene Klass feud
“Things will improve these moments are here to make you feel stronger,” said a fifth.
A sixth person then touchingly penned: “I feel so sorry for you at the moment Frankie, every video you’ve put up lately, you can literally see the sadness in your eyes.
“Hope you work through it and get back to yourself which I know is easier said the done as I know from experience.
“Stay strong and try and focus on all the good things in your life.”
Myleene’s shock feud explained
Myleene Klass has found herself embroiled in a bitter feud.
And with the National Television Awards taking place this week, it has been revealed Myleene will skip the event to avoid any awkward run-ins with the two women.
A source told The Sun: “There has been wild speculation lately that the women don’t get on after falling out years ago.
“Fortunately, they will avoid a public clash as Myleene, who has been a regular at the glitzy event over the years, is swerving it this year as she has work commitments.”
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Myleene Klass will not attend the NTAs this yearCredit: Getty
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This comes amid a feud with Frankie BridgeCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
Frankie Muniz — the “Malcolm in the Middle” star turned NASCAR driver — is off the racetrack, for now at least.
The actor is recovering from a broken wrist he suffered after falling from a ladder at his home, he wrote on Instagram on Thursday.
“The phrase ‘FML’ (Frankie Muniz’s Life) takes on new meaning with moments like these,” he wrote.
The accident came right before a NASCAR event at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C., over Labor Day weekend.
Muniz shared that the ladder mishap happened when he was trying to change batteries on a backyard security camera. While he joked about the situation, he said he’s heartbroken to miss the competition.
However, Muniz’s NASCAR career is far from over. He estimates he’ll be back behind the wheel within a few months.
Muniz began his professional driving career in 2006, after the end of “Malcolm in the Middle,” a move that stemmed from his lifelong admiration for the sport.
This isn’t the first time Muniz has found himself on the mend. In a previous interview, the 39-year-old told People that he’s simply “injury-prone,” and broke 38 bones between 2006 and 2017.
Muniz was involved in a crash at a 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway in Arizona. According to reports from a journalist at the track, Muniz was seen limping into an ambulance after a hard hit from behind, but escaped major injury.
Neither that nor his latest fall are as harrowing as his major crash in 2009.
During a race, the then-21-year-old’s vehicle flipped and violently crashed into a wall. He described the crash as “gnarly” and said it resulted in him breaking his back, ankle, four ribs and a hand.
“My thumb was dangling by the skin,” Muniz told People.
In comparison, his recent fall from the ladder was a bump in the road. As the actor-turned-racer recovers, he plans to come back to racing full-force — and probably follow the instructions on his ladder a little more closely.
“Note to self: heed the ladder warning that says, ‘Do not sit or stand on top step,’” Muniz wrote on social media. “In hindsight, a taller ladder would’ve been smarter. While I’m gutted to miss the races, I’m grateful it wasn’t worse.”
Frankie Bridge has landed a brand new role with ITV as she takes on the role of a judge of an upcoming series, following her reported rift with her Loose Women co-stars
Frankie Bridge has landed a brand new role with ITV as she takes on the role of a judge(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
Former Saturdays singer Frankie Bridge has landed a new ITV role following a reported feud with her co-star Myleene Klass. Frankie, 36, has been involved in a rumoured feud with Myleene and also her former bandmate Rochelle Humes in recent weeks, and ITV reportedly had to step in to ensure the panellists didn’t cross paths.
Frankie has now bagged a new role on ITV and will be appearing as a judge on the upcoming series of ITV’s M&S: Dress The Nation. The singer is known for her style and has regularly shared her fashion outfits and tips online in recent years.
Former Saturdays singer Frankie Bridge has landed a new ITV role(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Bvlgari Hotel London)
A source revealed to the Daily Star: “Producers think Frankie is perfect for the show because she’s so fashionable.” The Mirror has contacted Frankie’s representatives for comment.
Despite the reported rift between Frankie and the ladies, they appeared to shut down the rumours as Rochelle and Frankie have both been interacting with one another on Instagram and showing their support for one another.
After Frankie shared a glimpse into her holiday, Rochelle liked the post, and vice versa, after Rochelle went on holiday. However, neither of the ladies has interacted online with Myleene and doesn’t even follow her online.
Frankie, 36, has been involved in a rumoured feud with Myleene and also her former bandmate Rochelle Humes in recent weeks(Image: Justin Goff Photos/Getty Images)
The three Loose Women stars were once thought to be good friends, as Myleene and Frankie attended Rochelle’s hen do back in 2012, however, Rochelle and Frankie have remained friends with Myleene’s ex-husband Graham Quinn.
A source previously said: “Myleene seemed to take that as Frankie taking sides with Graham because of their working relationship.”
It comes as Frankie took to social media to share a cryptic message amid speculation of the rift between herself and Myleene. Frankie posted on TikTok as she enjoyed her latest getaway, and in the clip, she is filmed at a beach resort miming along to Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter.
The video was captioned: “Taking 36 years to realise being a people pleaser doesn’t please anyone.”
Frankie has now bagged a new role on ITV and will be appearing as a judge on the upcoming series of ITV’s M&S: Dress The Nation(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
She went on: “Fad diets are a waste of time. Turns out it’s all about balance?! Who knew?! Only you can make yourself happy.”
And Frankie added: “You can do the hard thing! You’ve got this.” She then added a red love heart emoji to her post. Fans were quick to agree with her comments, letting their feelings be known on the post.
All five members of The Saturdays insisted there was no bad blood when they parted ways in 2014.
However, The Sun previously revealed that Rochelle and Frankie’s 24-year friendship may have hit the rocks.
The duo were invited to watch the tennis at Wimbledon as As guests of sponsor Evian.
Frankie Bridge posts cryptic TikTok about ‘being a people pleaser’ amid feud with Myleene Klass
They mingled with other celebrities and guests just yards away from one another in a suite.
However, they failed to actually interact with each other as they enjoyed the delights of the hydrangea building nearCourtOne.
An insider told The Sun: “It was clear the women were keeping their distance. They sat on opposite sides of the suite and kept to themselves.
“While Frankie posed for pictures with S Club’s Rachel Stevens, Rochelle took selfies with her husband Marvin and his I’m A Celebrity campmate Sam Thompson.
“Even though they were pleasant to each other when they did brush shoulders, they didn’t spend any extra time together than they had to, in between being amicable while passing each other en route to watch the tennis.”
Both of the stars were clients of her now ex-husband, who worked as a showbiz security manager.
Their continued friendship is said to have caused a rift as Myleene, 47, reportedly believes Rochelle took Graham’s side.
But they have not been seen on-screen together on the ITV show since an awkward episode last year.
At the time of the first report, representatives for Rochelle and Myleene did not reply to a request for comment.
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Frankie explained that she was prescribed meditation and relaxation her on holidayCredit: Instagram / rochellehumes
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She reportedly avoided her childhood friend and former bandmate Rochelle Humes when they were both invited to watch the tennis at WimbledonCredit: Splash
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Meanwhile, Myleene’s feud apparently stems from their friendship with her ex-husband Graham QuinnCredit: Getty
While the pair still follow each other on Instagram, Rochelle’s like is a rare move amid their feud – as they rarely publicly support each others’ posts.
The Up singers haven’t liked each others’ uploads in years, and there have been no likes or comment exchanges between the pair since 2013.
This could mean they were wiped if one of them had blocked the other.
Singers and presenters Marvin and Rochelle Humes have enjoyed successes both together and individually. Here are some of their biggest highlights.
S Club Junior/S Club 8: Early in her career, Rochelle was a member of this S Club 7 spin-off group. All of the original members were either early teens or younger when joining the band. They disbanded in 2005.
VS: The brainchild of Blue singer Simon Webbe, a pre-JLS Marvin featured in this group from 2004 to 2005. Although not a member himself, Webbe also managed the band.
The Saturdays: Rochelle joined the English-Irish girl band in 2007, along with Frankie Bridge, Vanessa White,Una Healy and Mollie King, following auditions. The group began an indefinite hiatus in 2014, although each of the members have moved on to other ventures.
JLS: After leaving VS, Marvin met Oritsé Williams through mutual friends, forming the beginning of what became JLS. Adding Aston Merrygold and JB Gill, the group famously auditioned for The X-Factor in 2008. JLS finished as runners-up to Alexandra Burke and initially disbanded in 2013. They later reunited from 2020 onwards.
This Morning: The couple were regular stand-in presenters on the ITV daytime show up until 2015.
The Voice:Marvin hosted series three through five of The Voice alongside Emma Willis on BBC One. The show later moved to BBC One, without Marvin continuing on.
The Hit List: Marvin and Rochelle began presenting this music-themed game show in 2019. The programme’s success has seen both civilians and celebrities take part.
I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!: Marvin participated in the 2023 series of the beloved show. He starred alongside the likes of Josie Gibson,Tony Bellew,Nigel Farage and Fred Sirieix. In the end Sam Thompson was crowned King of the Jungle.
In 2013, soon after Myleene’s divorce from Quinn, guests at the Glamour Women of the Year awards saw her storm over to Frankie after believing she had been blanked.
A source said: “Myleene seemed to take that as Frankie taking sides with Graham because of their working relationship.”
Meanwhile, Frankie and Myleene have not appeared on Loose Women together since an “awkward” episode last December.
Sources said that though they’d rather not be on together, they are professionals and do their best to make things work.
FRANKIE Bridge has raised eyebrows after saying “you’re dead to me” in a scathing post after appearing to ‘snub’ former bandmate and friend Rochelle Humes.
The Loose Women panellist, 36, took to TikTok to share the damning video, showing her sipping on a glass of rosé wine.
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Frankie raised eyebrows with a scathing post about someone being ‘dead to her’Credit: Getty
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Last month it was revealed she and former bandmate Rochelle – pictured with husband Marvin Humes – ‘snubbed’ each other at WimbledonCredit: WireImage
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The former pop stars have been working together since they were 12Credit: Getty
A caption written over the clip read: “You’re so quiet…
“Thanks, you said something five years ago and I’ve just realised you’re actually dead to me.”
Frankie then added below: “Takes me a while, but once you’re dead you’re dead.”
The Sun has contacted a representative for Frankie for comment.
Mum-of-two Frankie and presenter Rochelle, 36, shot to fame together at just 12-years-old in pop group S Club Juniors.
Frankie and Rochelle then joined girlband The Saturdays in 2007, going on to enjoy a string of huge hits including Issues, Ego and What About Us.
The Saturdays – also made up of Vanessa White, Una Healy and Mollie King – have always insisted their decision to go on indefinite hiatus in 2014 wasn’t down to them falling out.
Speaking to HELLO! previously, Frankie explained: “We never fell out. We never really officially broke up or anything, so the option [to get back together] has kind of always been there.”
As guests of sponsor Evian, the pair were invited to watch the tennis in a suite in the sought-after hydrangea building nearCourtOne.
But while they mingled with other celebrities and guests just yards away from one another – they failed to actually interact with each other.
The I’m A Celebrity clip I use to win any row with Marvin, says Rochelle Humes
An insider told The Sun: “It was clear the women were keeping their distance. They sat on opposite sides of the suite and kept to themselves.
“While Frankie posed for pictures with S Club’s Rachel Stevens, Rochelle took selfies with her husband Marvin and his I’m A Celebrity campmate Sam Thompson.
“It was a shame because having the two girls from The Saturdays together for a mini-reunion was exciting for everyone there.
“Even though they were pleasant to each other when they did brush shoulders, they didn’t spend any extra time together than they had to, in between being amicable while passing each other en route to watch the tennis.”
While Frankie has taken the “never say never” approach to a potential Saturdays return and Una, 43, has admitted several times she’s ready to perform with the girls again, Rochelle previously insisted she “highly doubts” it will happen.
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Frankie and Rochelle performing with Saturdays bandmates Una, Vanessa and MollieCredit: WireImage
What do Dead Kennedys’ Jello Biafra, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and Motley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx have in common? They all dig Frankie and the Witch Fingers, an L.A.-based band whose irresistible garagey-psychedelic rock sometimes even invokes shades of Oingo Boingo and Devo thanks to a staccato freneticism and pointed lyrics. The diversity of FATWF’s peer-fans speak to the quintet’s wide-ranging appeal, and the title of their new 11-song album, “Trash Classic,” is a spot-on descriptor of the LP as a whole.
In their longtime rehearsal-recording room in a legendary Vernon warehouse, the band perch on a couch a few days before leaving for tour. There’s a whiteboard with a set list behind the sofa, and they share some “mood board” phrases written for the creation of “Trash Classic.” On posterboard, the bon mots include “Lord Forgive Us For Our Synths,” “Jello -B.Y.O.F. (Bring Your Own Fork) – Ra” and “Weenus.” Laughter ensues at the memories.
The lineup formed with Dylan Sizemore (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and Josh Menashe (lead guitar, backing vocals, synthesizer) more than a decade ago, the pair meeting at college in Bloomington, Ind. In different bands, they’d seen each other’s gigs and run into each other at parties.
“I was just bored one day, and was like, ‘I wonder if this guy wants to jam.’ I had all these songs,” recalls Sizemore. “I just kind of showed up to his house, and I knew he was really good at guitar and really good at music in general.”
Josh Menashe, from left, Dylan Sizemore, Nicole “Nikki Pickle” Smith, Jon Modaff and Nick Aguilar, of the Los Angeles psych-rock band Frankie and the Witch Fingers get into character in their rehearsal space in Vernon on July 11, 2025.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
The San Diego-raised Menashe recalls, “I think by the time I met Dylan, I’d already dropped out [of college], though, and there were day jobs — at a screen-printing shop, I worked at a Turkish restaurant; whatever I could do to keep my music addiction going. I never really settled on a major because I just couldn’t think about what I wanted to do. Nothing made as much sense as music.”
Sizemore had been dabbling in music that was “power-pop-y, kind of like Tom Petty worship …”
“… he was in a band called Dead Beach,” Menashe adds, “and I would say it was garage rock, almost like Nirvana meets Tom Petty.”
“And Josh was in a more like surf rock, almost like mathy band. What would you describe [the band] Women as?” Sizemore asks.
“Angular, punky, buncha noise stuff,” affirms Menashe, who also played with acclaimed Bloomington-to-L.A. band Triptides starting in 2010.
In FATWF (the name comes from Sizemore’s cat Frankie) the pair’s experience and influences were varied enough to create something new that, over seven albums since 2013, has morphed into a wildly creative and raucous band with hooks, melodies, smarts, irreverence, loud guitars and wonderfully oddball synth and sounds.
A move to L.A. in 2014 and eventual changes in the rhythm section — Nikki Pickles (Nicole Smith), formerly of Death Valley Girls, joining in 2019; with drummer Nick Aguilar’s 2022 addition solidifying the band further. Jon Modaff, a multi-instrumentalist from Kentucky who played drums on tour with FATWF in 2021, joined on synth in 2024, giving the band an even broader sonic palette to realize their sometimes-oddball audio dreams.
“Trash Classic,” produced by Maryam Qudus (Tune-Yards, Alanis Morissette, Kronos Quartet) follows 2023’s “Data Doom,” which was the first album to feature Aguilar on drums. Songs are by turns epic, edgy, spacey and insistent. Some “Trash Classic” lyrics are topical and pointed: “(While the upper) class is feeding / (On the lower) babies’ food / (Microwaving) TV dinners / (With the porno) graphic news.” “Economy” minces no words: “This has got to be / The best economy / The plasma you sell / (The plasma you sell) / Buys money to eat.”
There was no grand plan or lyrical theme settled ahead of the new album’s creation. “We collectively talk about what’s going on in the world when we’re in rehearsal and stuff, and our feelings about it,” says Sizemore. “I think it’s just at a point now where talking about certain things just feels more — what’s the word? — it feels more part of the zeitgeist. Like ‘Economy,’ I wanted to write about being around abject poverty. But it makes more sense now, it fits into the context of where we are. Things that we talk about in here, about what’s going on, maybe weren’t so omnipresent, and now it feels like it is. Like, you can’t escape poverty. You can’t escape what’s happening to people less fortunate than you. It’s everywhere.”
In writing the lyrics, Sizemore thought about growing up, “seeing people trade in their food stamps to get alcohol because they’re addicted. Messy stuff like that. But it’s relevant now, it’s not just parts of the world. It’s gonna be everywhere if we don’t do something about it.”
Lyrics, while Sizemore-centric, are a collaborative process. Pickle, however, who came to bass in her 20s, says, “I just am happy to be along for the ride, and I’ll contribute where it’s helpful. I like to sit back; I guess I don’t feel qualified as a songwriter.” But, she says, “honestly, I think that that’s a helpful way to be, because if you have too many people with egos on top of each other, like, ‘no, no, no, do it my way.’ I like to listen and then insert where I can. That’s my vibe.”
Differing approaches and backgrounds serve FATWF well. Because of their “cohesive diversity and flexibility in the rock realm,” Aguilar observes, “I feel like we could play with almost anybody. At least a rock band, to any extent.”
While they’re mostly doing headlining tours, they’ve shared stages with Cheap Trick and ZZ Top. So where would FATWF overlap with the two elder statesmen classic rock lineups on the musical spectrum?
“I mean, we were really into the [13th Floor] Elevators, and…” Sizemore says.
“The Velvet Underground…” adds Pickle.
“…Roky Erickson, all that stuff. I think we tried to, like, gear our set more in that direction, just so we weren’t fully playing freaky, noisy funk stuff,” Sizemore continues. “But there’s an overlap, for sure. If we play in Atlanta or something, we’ll get someone saying, ‘Oh, the first time I saw you guys was with ZZ Top’ and that’s always cool.”
“We collectively talk about what’s going on in the world when we’re in rehearsal and stuff, and our feelings about it,” says Sizemore. “I think it’s just at a point now where talking about certain things just feels more — what’s the word? — it feels more part of the zeitgeist.”
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Most of Frankie’s members cite the DIY scenes in their areas as influential: Aguilar is from San Pedro and began drumming at the age of 10. He eventually played with that neighborhood’s most famous musician: bassist Mike Watt, and growing up, “discovered I don’t need to go to the Staples Center or Irvine Meadows to see a band. I could just go, like, 10 blocks away from my home on my bike to house shows,” he says, adding, “if there wasn’t the music scene in San Pedro, I probably wouldn’t be in this band. I’d probably be playing at the Whisky with some s— metal band that nobody cares about.”
An increasing number of people are caring about FATWF; Jello Biafra even joining them on stage. At a gig in Biafra’s hometown of Boulder, Colo., the punk provocateur met the band after their show. The next night, the singer showed up in Fort Collins.
“We have a lot of mutual friends,” explains Aguilar. “I work at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach. So I met him there a long time ago. He said he was gonna come see us at our Halloween show in San Francisco. I was like, ‘How would you feel if we learned some DK songs and you sang with us for Halloween?’”
He answered in the affirmative, so Frankie and the Witch Fingers learned the Dead Kennedys’ “Halloween,” “Police Truck” and “Holiday in Cambodia.” Biafra rehearsed with the band at sound check, and for the holiday show FATWF dressed up as “bloody doctors.” As for Biafra? “He changed his outfit in between every song! He was throwing fake bloody organs at the audience. You could tell half of the audience knew who he was. And half was like, ‘Yo, who the hell is this?’”
“Talking about all this like ancient history makes me feel, ‘Oh yeah, we’ve kind of come a long way,’” Pickles ruminates. Aguilar states his somewhat modest hopes for the band: “I think my realistic goal is the headline the Fonda Theater one day.”
But if larger-scale fame and fortune find Frankie and the Witch Fingers, beware: Menashe claims he’d get a face tattoo if the band sells a million records. His promise is captured by the reporter’s recorder, officially “on the record,” the band teases him. But in true FATWF fashion, Sizemore pushes it one further: “You gotta get a teardrop too!”
Frankie Muniz may be the only actor who has been nominated for an Emmy award and driven in a NASCAR event at Daytona. But if Muniz had been old enough to get a driver’s license before he moved to Hollywood, there may never have been a “Malcolm in the Middle.”
“When I’m in that race car and I put my visor down and I drive out of that pit lane, I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be,” he said. “That’s what I’m supposed to do and that’s what I’m doing.”
And acting?
“I don’t feel like I’m a good actor,” he said. “I know I can act. But when I look at good acting, I go ‘dang, I could never do that’.”
That’s not true, of course. Muniz, who started acting when he was 12, has been credited in 26 films and 37 TV shows, including the title role in “Malcolm in the Middle,” which earned him two Golden Globe nominations and one Emmy nod during its seven-year run on Fox.
But acting was a profession. Racing is a passion.
“Excitement and all the emotions. That’s what I love about racing,” he said. “The highs are so high and the lows are unbelievably low. It’s awesome.”
Muniz placed 28th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Indianapolis Raceway Park on Friday. He is 23rd among the 64 drivers listed in the series points standings, with his one top-10 finish coming in the season opener at Daytona.
Muniz, 39, isn’t the first actor to try racing. Paul Newman was a four-time SCCA national champion who finished second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979 while Patrick Dempsey (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Can’t Buy Me Love”) has driven sports cars at Le Mans and in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, in addition to other series.
Frankie Muniz qualifies at Daytona International Speedway in February.
(Phelan M. Ebenhack / Associated Press)
But driving isn’t a side hustle for Muniz, who last October signed with North Carolina-based Reaume Brothers Racing to be the full-time driver of the team’s No. 33 Ford in the truck series. Muniz also raced twice last year in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
“When I originally started racing, I was kind of at the height of my [acting] career. I had tons of offers to do movies and shows and all that,” said Muniz, who made his stock-car debut in the fall of 2021 in Bakersfield, then accepted an offer to drive full time in the ARCA Menards Series in 2023. “Very easily could have stayed in that business. But I wanted to give racing a try. And to compete at the top level, you have to put in the time and effort that professional race car drivers are doing, right? You can’t do it halfway.”
Muniz was into racing before he even thought about acting. Growing up in North Carolina, he remembers waking early on the weekend to watch IndyCar and NASCAR races on TV. No one else in his family shared his interest in motorsports, so when his parents divorced shortly after Muniz was discovered acting in a talent show at age 8, his mother moved to Burbank, where he made his film debut alongside Louis Gossett Jr. in 1997’s “To Dance With Olivia.”
Two years later he was cast as the gifted middle child of a dysfunctional working-class family in the successful sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle.” Motorsports continued to tug at him so after running in a few celebrity events, Muniz twice put his acting career on hold to race, first in 2007 — shortly after “Malcolm” ended after seven seasons and 151 episodes — when he started a three-season run in the open-wheel Atlantic Championship series.
Still, Muniz, who lives with his wife Paige and 4-year-old son Mauz in Scottsdale, Ariz., is dogged by criticism he is little more than a weekend warrior who is using his substantial Hollywood reputation and earnings to live out his racing fantasies.
“I don’t spend any of my money going racing,” he said. “I made a promise to my wife that I would not do that. So I can kill that rumor right there.”
But those whispers persist partly because Muniz hasn’t completely cut ties with acting. Because the truck series doesn’t run every weekend, racing 25 times between Valentine’s Day and Halloween, Muniz had time to tape a “Malcolm in the Middle” reunion miniseries that is scheduled to air on Disney+ in December.
He has also appeared in two other TV projects and two films since turning to racing full time. But his focus, he insists, is on driving.
“If I wanted to go racing for fun,” he said, “I would not be racing in the truck series. I’d be racing at my local track or I’d be racing some SCCA club events. I want to be one of the top drivers there are. I want to make it as high up in NASCAR as I can. And I’m doing everything I can to do that.”
Fame outside of racing can be a double-edged sword in the high-cost world of NASCAR. It can open doors to a ride and sponsorships others can’t get, but it can also cause jealousy in the garage, with drivers crediting that fame and not talent for a rival’s success. And Muniz isn’t the only rookie driver who has had to deal with that.
Toni Breidinger, who finished 27th in Friday’s race and is one place and eight points ahead of Muniz in the season standings with nine races left, is a model who has posed for Victoria’s Secret and been featured in the pages of Glamour, GQ and Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit edition. She’s also a good driver who has been going fast on a racetrack far longer than she’s been walking slowly down a catwalk.
Toni Breidinger prepares for NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series practice at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on Friday.
(Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
“I was definitely a racer before anything. That was definitely my passion,” said Breidinger, who started driving go-karts in Northern California when she was 9. “I’ve been lucky enough to be able to do modeling to help support that passion. But at the end of the day, I definitely consider myself a racer. That’s what I grew up doing and that’s the career I’ve always wanted do to.”
Still, she sees the two pursuits as being complementary. When Breidinger appears on a red carpet, as she did before this month’s ESPY Awards in Los Angeles, it helps her modeling career while at the same time giving the sponsors of her racing team — which includes 818 Tequila, Dave & Buster’s and the fashion brand Coach — added value.
“It’s all part of the business. It all goes back into my racing,” said Breidinger, 26, who is of German and Lebanese descent. “The side hustles, I like to call them. I don’t think that takes away from me being a race car driver.”
Breidinger, who won the USAC western asphalt midget series title as a teenager, raced in the ARCA Menards Series for five years before stepping up to truck series in 2021, making NASCAR history in 2023 when she finished 15th in her first race, the best-ever debut by a female driver. That helped her land a full-time ride this season with Tricon Garage, Toyota’s flagship team in the truck series.
Like Muniz, Breidinger sees the truck series, the third tier of NASCAR’s national racing series, as a steppingstone to a seat in a Cup car.
“I want to climb the national ladder. That’s what I’m here to do,” she said. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t have long-term plans and long-term goals. I’m a very competitive person, especially with myself.”
Kyle Larson, who climbed to the top of that ladder, running his first NASCAR national series race in a truck in 2012, then winning the 2021 Cup championship nine years later, said the path he took — and the one Muniz and Breidinger are following — is a well-worn one.
“Anybody racing in any of the three series has talent and ability enough to be there,” he said.
Funding, Larson said, and not talent and ability, often determines how fast a driver can make that climb and that might be a problem for Muniz since Josh Reaume, the owner of the small three-truck team Muniz drives for, has complained about the price of racing. It can cost more than $3.5 million a year to field one competitive truck in the 25-race series — and that cost is rising, threatening to price many out of the sport.
But having drivers like Muniz and Breidinger in NASCAR will help everyone in the series, Larson said, because it will bring in fans and sponsors that might not have been attracted to the sport otherwise.
“I just hope that he can get into a situation someday where you can really see his talent from being in a car or a truck that is better equipped to go run towards the front,” Larson said of Muniz. “You want to see him succeed because if he does succeed, it’s only going to do good things for our sport.”
And if it works out the way Muniz hopes, perhaps he’ll someday be the answer to another trivia question: Name the NASCAR champion who once worked in Hollywood.
