What Is The Cast Of Malcolm In The Middle Up To Now?

We're not the boss of you now, but we still strongly recommend revisiting the classic sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle." Created in 2000 by "Little House on the Prairie" alum Linwood Boomer, the series ran for seven seasons and over 150 episodes before it ended in 2006. Though it may seem somewhat predictable now, it was a fairly subversive program at the time with regard to how chaotic and internally hostile the central Wilkerson family could be.

The actors who portrayed the Wilkersons — and the neighbors, classmates, relatives, and co-workers they terrorize — were an amusing mix of established sitcom stalwarts and up-and-coming child actors, a dynamic encapsulated by Malcolm actor Frankie Muniz and his on-screen father Bryan Cranston. With nearly a decade of television between us and the series finale and a reunion miniseries reportedly on the way, we're more curious than ever what the cast of "Malcolm in the Middle" is up to now, especially with a revival on the way.

Let's catch up with the cast of "Malcolm in the Middle" (in alphabetical order).

Coming right on the heels of his lauded work as a young actor in the WB's "Unhappily Ever After," 13-year-old Justin Berfield was a big get for "Malcolm in the Middle." For all seven seasons, he played the titular character's older brother Reese. After "Malcolm" ended, Berfield only acted in one more project: a single 2010 episode of the little-known Fox sitcom "Sons of Tucson." But that doesn't mean he disappeared from Hollywood entirely.

In fact, some might argue that his career in the entertainment industry reached unexpected heights following "Malcolm," as this period saw him co-found the film and television production company Virgin Produced alongside Jason Felts. Felts serves as CEO, while Berfield serves as Chief Creative Officer (CCO). The company exists as a subsidiary of billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Group. Since their founding in 2010, they've backed projects such as the acclaimed Hailee Steinfeld star-maker "The Edge of Seventeen," the anthology comedy "Movie 43," "Immortals" (the film that helped Henry Cavill land the role of Superman in "Man of Steel"), "Bad Moms," the Ashton Kutcher-led Steve Jobs biopic "Jobs," and, perhaps most notably, the Bradley Cooper science fiction thriller "Limitless." The latter project spawned a TV spin-off show, and it remains one of the most debated movies of its kind from the 2010s.

Berfield is slated to return to acting in 2025, at the age of 39, for the revival of "Malcolm in the Middle." He is one of only five original series main cast members to confirm their involvement as of writing. It will be his first acting role in over 15 years.

In the first two seasons of "Malcolm in the Middle," Catherine Lloyd Burns played Malcolm's teacher Caroline Miller. At the time, she was best known for roles in romantic comedy films like Edward Norton's "Keeping the Faith" and "Pushing Tin," and she had starred in the short-lived NBC satirical late-night series "LateLine," which starred and was created by future U.S. Senator former "SNL" writer and cast member Al Franken.

Since she left "Malcolm" in 2000, Burns has lent her talents as an actor and writer to numerous films and television shows. "Everything Put Together" — a low-budget film she wrote and starred in — received recognition in 2001 from the Independent Film Spirit Awards for Best Feature Under $500,000. She has also written and published two children's books, "The Half-True Lies of Cricket Cohen" and "The Good, the Bad, and the Beagle," and a memoir titled "It Hit Me Like a Ton of Bricks."

In front of the camera, Burns has had small roles in films like "The Baxter," "The Last New Yorker," and "Dedication." From 2016 through to its final season in 2022, she played Linda Witherbottom — the anguished and exasperated mother of wayward poet Chantal Witherbottom (Clare McNulty) — on the Max dark comedy mystery series "Search Party."

Starting in the show's third season, Emy Coligado began recurring on "Malcolm in the Middle" as Piama Tananahaakna, the wife of Christopher Kennedy Masterson's Francis Wilkerson. Coligado booked several supporting roles after her final appearance on "Malcolm" in 2006, guest-starring on the popular TV shows "Grey's Anatomy" and "Chuck." In 2008, she starred in the science fiction short "Ctrl Z," which was later turned into a TV series for NBC starring Coligado, "Arrested Development" alum Tony Hale, and soon-to-be "Shameless" star Steve Howey. It ran for only one season.

Coligado herself appeared on an episode of "Shameless" after the cancellation of "Ctrl," as well as episodes of "Fresh Off the Boat," "Archive 81," and "The Good Fight." She also played a small role in the 2012 "Three Stooges" film. In 2023, she was cast in the recurring ensemble of the AppleTV+ series adaptation of "The Changeling," a horror story about a man ("Atlanta" star LaKeith Stanfield) searching for his lost family in a dark and fantastical world. The series was cancelled after one eight-episode season. 

Most recently, she appeared in Peacock's comedy murder mystery series "Based on a True Story" and Hulu's retro coming-of-age dramedy "Summer of '69."

Believe it or not, Bryan Cranston has had a relatively decent career following his turn as eccentric patriarch Hal Wilkerson throughout all seven seasons of "Malcolm in the Middle." In the years that followed the series finale, he booked roles in films that became modern classics, such as "The Lincoln Lawyer," the Ryan Gosling thriller "Drive," Steven Soderbergh's "Contagion," Ben Affleck's "Argo," the 2014 "Godzilla" reboot, and the Wes Anderson films "Isle of Dogs" and "Asteroid City." 

In 2016, he earned his first and only Academy Award nomination for playing the title role in the film "Trumbo." He's also starred in the Netflix chart-topping crime flick "The Infiltrator," the Showtime legal drama-slash-crime thriller "Your Honor," played fictional versions of himself in "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and "The Disaster Artist" (dramatizing a real bit of behind-the-scenes drama related to both "Malcolm" and "The Room" in the latter film), and even found time to direct an episode of "The Office."

Feels like we're missing something... Oh, right — he also happened to give one of, if not the greatest dramatic TV performance of the 21st century in the critically acclaimed AMC crime thriller "Breaking Bad," in which he starred for five perfect seasons as high school chemistry teacher-turned-meth kingpin Walter White. Cranston nearly missed out on playing this role waiting to hear about a potential eighth season of "Malcolm," then faced an uphill battle convincing AMC executives that the same man who played Hal could pull off Walter. He was, of course, ultimately successful, and the rest is history: Cranston earned six Emmy Awards for his work on "Breaking Bad," and has since reprised his role in the sequel film "El Camino" and the spin-off series "Better Call Saul." Under the right circumstances, he's open to doing so again.

As of writing, Cranston can be seen in AppleTV+'s entertainment industry satire "The Studio," and he will be featured in Wes Anderson's 2025 film "The Phoenician Scheme." He is also slated to appear in the "Malcolm" reunion, and has announced that he will take a hiatus from acting in 2026.

When Chris Eigeman joined the cast of "Malcolm in the Middle" during its third season as Caroline Miller's cruel and hostile replacement Lionel Herkabe, he had already made a name for himself via the ABC sitcom "It's Like, You Know..." and the comedy drama "Kicking and Screaming" (one of Noah Baumbach's best films, and indeed one of the best comedies released in the 1990s).

Since his final appearance on "Malcolm" in 2005 during its seventh and final season, Eigeman has appeared in a few films and guest-starred on a handful of television shows. He played David Esterbrook on the cult Fox sci-fi procedural "Fringe" and appeared on "CSI: Miami," HBO's "Girls," and the ABC dramedy "Bunheads."

In 2016, he reprised his role as Jason Stiles — arguably Lorelai Gilmore's (Lauren Graham) strangest fling — in the Netflix reboot miniseries "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life." Most recently he played recurring roles on the Showtime financial drama "Billions" (as Stuart Legere) and on the Amazon Prime Video period comedy "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" as Gabe.

David Anthony Higgins recurred across all seven seasons of "Malcolm in the Middle" as Lois Wilkerson's (Jane Kaczmarek) co-worker at the Lucky Aide pharmacy. He was best known for playing Joe Farrell on Ellen Degeneres' self-titled sitcom "Ellen."

Since "Malcolm" wrapped, Higgins has worked consistently as an actor, guest-starring in numerous popular TV shows including "Last Man Standing," "American Horror Story: Murder House," "Californication," "Comedy Bang! Bang!," and "Mom." Starting in 2011 during its first season, he recurred on the CBS sitcom "Mike and Molly," which starred Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy as a couple who meet in a food addiction support group. 

From 2020 to 2022, he had a leading role on the CBS sitcom "B Positive," about a socially isolated therapist and divorcee (Thomas Middleditch) who is struggling to find a suitable kidney donor. The series was cancelled after two seasons. In 2023, he landed a minor recurring role on the short-lived Fox sitcom "Call Me Kat," which was also cancelled.

Higgins has also found opportunity in the world of children's television, specifically at Nickelodeon. He's appeared in shows like "True Jackson, VP," "Wendell and Vinnie," the late-2010s "School of Rock" series, and, most notably, "Big Time Rush."

Speaking of Lois Wilkerson, the matriarch of the Wilkerson household was memorably played by Jane Kaczmarek. With "Malcolm" in the rearview, Kaczmarek was free to return to a completely different genre, taking the role of a by-the-book judge in the core ensemble of the TNT legal drama "Raising the Bar." It was cancelled after two seasons.

The actor followed this up with several guest-starring roles in popular shows like "Wilfred," "The Middle," "Phineas and Ferb," "The Big Bang Theory," "Mixed-ish," and "This is Us," before taking a supporting role in the same "Changeling" series that features Emy Coligado. She has also continued to voice the character of Judge Constance Harm on "The Simpsons" through the show's 36th season in 2025. As of writing, she is confirmed to appear in the "Malcolm in the Middle" reboot project, and has been cast in the Duffer Brothers-produced Netflix series "The Boroughs."

Cloris Leachman was already a legendary actor when she joined "Malcolm in the Middle" as a guest star — playing Lois' vengeful mother Ida Welker — during the show's second season. She was best known for star turns in classic films and television shows like "The Last Picture Show," Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein," and the original "Twilight Zone" series.

At 79 years of age by the time "Malcolm" ended, Leachman didn't slow down one bit. She continued to take on multiple projects every year, including a "starring" role in the fake movie "Mrs. Albert Hannaday," as seen in an episode of "The Office." More notable credits include the voice of Old Marceline in "Adventure Time," Gran in "The Croods," Dr. Doofenshmirtz's mom in "Phineas and Ferb," Annette Bellamy in "Royal Pains," and the Slavic deity Zorya Vechernyaya in "American Gods." Her biggest role post-"Malcolm" was as Maw Maw on the Fox sitcom "Raising Hope." In January of 2021, at the age of 94, Leachman passed away.

The oldest of the Wilkerson brood, Francis was no less of a handful than his three brothers. Actor Christopher Kennedy Masterson played the character in all seven seasons of "Malcolm in the Middle," though his appearances became significantly less frequent in the final two.

Following the ending of "Malcolm," Masterson's work slowed down somewhat. He appeared in a few short films and low-budget movies, occasionally guest-starring on a more prominent TV series like the USA Network's "White Collar." His last role was in the 2019 thriller "Beneath the Leaves." This followed a brief professional hiatus which seemingly began in 2017, the same year his brother Danny Masterson was fired from the Netflix series "The Ranch" after the LAPD began investigating multiple allegations of sexual assault made against the former "That '70s Show" star. He was ultimately found guilty on two felony charges and was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison. 

Christopher Masterson is slated to return for the "Malcolm in the Middle" reunion.

Obviously, we can't forget Malcolm Wilkerson himself, Frankie Muniz, who starred as the titular character in "Malcolm in the Middle" for all seven seasons. Muniz was just 14 years old when the series began, but he quickly racked up an impressive resume with roles in "Big Fat Liar," the animated children's series "Fairly Odd Parents," and the "Agent Cody Banks" franchise.

"Malcolm" occupied most of Muniz's time. However, despite turning him into a household name, after the series wrapped, his subsequent roles were fewer than some might have expected – leading to questions about his supposed disappearance from Hollywood. He was occasionally seen in the odd guest-starring role and cameo appearance, playing himself in "Arrested Development," "Don't Trust the B**** in Apartment 23," "The Mysteries of Laura," "Sharknado: Heart of Sharkness," AMC's "Preacher," and even the HBO animated DC Comics series "Harley Quinn." He also had less-meta cameos in films like "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story," in which he plays real-life musician Buddy Holly in a bit part.

In the 2020s, he's gradually begun to return to more serious acting roles, guest-starring on "The Rookie," "New Amsterdam," and "Awkwafina is Nora from Queens," as well as starring in the low-budget sci-fi film "Renner." He is, of course, going to reprise his key role in the "Malcolm" reunion as well.

On the other hand, speaking of actors who essentially disappeared from Hollywood, we have Erik Per Sullivan. The former actor was just seven years old when he was cast as Dewey Wilkerson in "Malcolm in the Middle," and he was hardly a teenager when the series ended in 2005. When the show ended, he acted in a few very low-key projects you probably haven't heard of.

In 2006, he provided the voice for Baby Bug in the English dub of the Luc Besson animated film "Arthur and the Invisibles." In 2010, he made his final on-screen appearance in the Joel Schumacher drama "Twelve," which also featured early-career Chace Crawford, Emma Roberts, Zoë Kravitz, and Billy Magnussen. Since then, Sullivan has elected to step away from the spotlight, and he has been recast for the reunion miniseries. Dewey will instead be played by "Wynonna Earp" actor Caleb Ellsworth-Clark.

For the first four seasons of "Malcolm in the Middle," the titular character is frequently flanked by his awkwardly enthusiastic friend Dabney Hooper. Dabney was played by child actor Kyle Sullivan, who had enjoyed a fairly consistent career guest-starring on shows like "Seinfeld," "Mad About You," "Chicago Hope," and the aforementioned "Unhappily Ever After." After his relatively brief tenure on "Malcolm," Sullivan landed roles on "Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones?" and "Fillmore!" 

But Sullivan most notably continued acting on the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series "All That." The series has since garnered a troubling legacy as a foundational component of Dan Schneider's children's TV empire. The prolific producer of shows such as "Drake and Josh" and "iCarly" has been the subject of disturbing allegations of misconduct coming from a number of sources documented in the Investigation Discovery series "Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kid's TV." 

Sullivan appeared on "Quiet On Set" in 2024 to discuss his experience working with "All That" cast member Brian Peck, who pleaded no contest to several horrific crimes in the early 2000s. In the ID series, Sullivan recounted how Peck once revealed to him that he received memorabilia from serial killer John Wayne Gacy, having pursued a correspondence friendship with him while Gacy was in prison. Schneider has filed a defamation lawsuit against Investigation Discovery over the series.

Though Dabney may have left Malcolm's side halfway through the show's run, kid genius Steve Kenarban was there right up until the end. He was played by actor and model Craig Lamar Traylor throughout the series.

Traylor is, by all appearances, no longer pursuing a career in acting, and he only briefly continued to work in the entertainment industry after the end of "Malcolm in the Middle." He played minor roles in the indie film "Fred and Vinnie" and Cedric the Entertainer's "Dance Fu" before stepping away from the business in 2012. He returned, albeit in a cameo capacity, for Frankie Muniz's "Renner" in 2025. Though there has been no confirmation from Traylor or the producers, it's widely theorized that he will make an appearance in the reunion series.

Stevie's father, Abe Kenarban, was no less memorable, despite appearing in far fewer episodes, thanks to the performance of his iconic actor Gary Anthony Williams. The actor is likely most recognized by his voice, having lent it to such films and series as "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" (Riff Tamson), "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" (Mutant Leader), "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows" (Bebop), "The Eric Andre Show," "The Boys Presents: Diabolical," "Rick and Morty," and "Invincible." However, his most impactful voice role was as Uncle Ruckus in the classic Adult Swim animated series "The Boondocks." Williams has kept himself just as busy on camera, if not moreso, taking on the role of Clarence Bell in "Boston Legal" right after "Malcolm in the Middle."

In 2025 alone, Williams can be seen or heard in "Night Court," "The Patrick Star: Show," "Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur," "SpongeBob SquarePants," and more. Like Craig Lamar Traylor, fans are near certain that he will return for the reunion series.