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Frankie Muniz is opening up about his struggles, and we’re sure his candid reveals are helping a lot of people feel less alone right now.
The Malcolm in the Middle alum and professional stock car racing driver recently went through a divorce from Paige Price. The two were married for almost seven years and share one child together — a 5-year-old son, Mauv.
Back in July, he wrote about their split in a now-deleted post on X (Twitter):
“After 10 beautiful years together, we’ve grown in ways that made us realize our relationship feels most natural and strong as a deep friendship and as co-parents. We share an incredible son who remains the center of our world, and we’re both happier, stronger parents because of the love and growth we’ve shared.”
The statement was uploaded with a video of him and his son playing.
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Unfortunately, a lot of unserious, immature commenters seemingly caused him to feel waves of shame and self-doubt, as he ultimately decided to delete the video. This got the attention of his ex-wife, who then defended him against the “cruel” critics:
“Frankie, I am so sorry that you felt the need to delete an old fun video of our family because people are so cruel to you. This world is so f***ed… divorce is bad, sure — it’s not like we’re excited about it… but we’re two adults who know how to be on the same team. I can’t believe people could scrutinize that.”
Paige continues to be a strong supporter of Frankie’s as they co-parent their young son.
Fast forward to September. Frankie has been sharing Instagram posts this month that could indicate self-reflection amid hard times. Earlier this week he shared a post with the quote:
“Let everything happen to you. Beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final. — JoJo Rabbit”
And a few days before that, he shared Bible verse Isaiah 43: 18-19, which specifically calls on not dwelling in the darkness of the past:
“The Lord says, ‘Forget what happened before. Do not think about the past. Look at the new things that I am going to do. It is already happening. Don’t you see it? I will make a road in the desert. I will make rivers in dryland.”
Now, on Friday, September 18, Frankie is choosing to be completely open and vulnerable with his fans, letting them know the extent of his recent battles. In a new Instagram post, he said:
“The last 6 weeks of my life have been a nightmare I’m praying to wake up from. Everything felt heavy, unclear, and like it was falling apart at the same time. I wouldn’t wish this season on anyone.”
Aw, Frankie.
Fortunately, he’s choosing to see the upside:
“The unexpected gift in the middle of it is that I’ve had nowhere to hide. I’ve had time to sit with myself, do real self-reflection, and finally see the areas of my life that need work if I want to become a better version of me. Not the polished version I show the world…the actual one. I read that sometimes hitting rock bottom is the thing that wakes you up. It forces the changes you needed to make all along so you can live the best life possible. That idea has been sitting with me. In five years I believe I’ll look back at this exact low point and feel grateful for it, because the high I’ll be standing on then only exists because I went through this.”
Ending his message with hope and encouragement for others going through personal trials, he says:
“This isn’t the end of the story. It’s the part where I start doing the work…the uncomfortable, unglamorous, necessary work. I’m choosing to treat this season as the foundation, not the finish line. If you’re in a low place right now too, you’re not broken. You’re being rebuilt. Let’s keep going!”
From rock bottom to new heights! You got this, Frankie!!
See his full post (below):
And to everyone out there who’s going through their own hard times, you are not alone.
For resources on mental health, visit https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help.
[Image via MEGA/WENN]