Cole Sprouse accuses his estranged and ‘unfit’ mother Melanie of ‘selfishness’

Cole Sprouse has accused his estranged mother of ‘wicked narcissism’ after previously claiming she forced him into the acting industry to satisfy her own need for validation. 

Sprouse and his twin brother Dylan became household names after landing lead roles in Disney series The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody when they were 12-years old. 

But the actor, now 30, claims mother Melanie pushed them into the industry with a view to profiting from their talent after divorcing their ‘wonderful’ father Matthew before they turned one.  

Speaking to Steven Bartlett’s Diary Of A CEO, he said: ‘My mother was, and still is, the tortured artist type. She struggled with, in many different ways, her place in the world. 

‘I think she found a tremendous sense of self-identity through motherhood, and tried to turn it into a profitable business at the same time, which for identical twin boys going into acting is an economic loophole – there are labor laws that can be incredibly profitable, so that’s what she did.’ 

Hitting out: Cole Sprouse has accused his estranged mother of ‘wicked narcissism’ after previously claiming she forced him into the acting industry to satisfy her need for validation

Old times: Cole and twin brother Dylan with their mother Melanie in 2000, when they were eight-years old 

Side by side: Dylan and Cole, now 30, have both established themselves as successful actors  

He added: ‘It made a lot of financial sense for her to push us into acting. I think it satisfied some sort of narcissism she probably had in order to be recognised as some sort of artistic success. 

‘She was a wonderful painter, so she always wanted some sort of artistic recognition and validation. But as time went on I think the entertainment industry just kind of broke her.’ 

The Sprouse twins also took joint roles in the Adam Sandler comedy Big Daddy, That 70s Show, and the iconic Friends while establishing themselves as popular child stars. 

However Cole has since estranged himself from his mother while publicly discussing their fractured relationship during a series of recent interviews. 

During his latest, the actor claims court officials were forced to step in and grant their father sole custody after Melanie was deemed unfit to parent the children.  

Let’s talk: Sprouse discussed his relationship with mum Melanie during an appearance on Steven Bartlett’s Diary Of A CEO

Revelation: The actor claims court officials were forced to step in and grant their father sole custody after Melanie was deemed unfit to parent the children (pictured in 2000)

Opening up: ‘I think she found a tremendous sense of self-identity through motherhood, and tried to turn it into a profitable business at the same time,’ he said of her decision to turn them into actors 

He said: ‘This industry encourages the worst qualities of you as a person… selfishness, greed. A lot of these things that we have come to know as cardinal sins. It’s one of those things that encouraged a kind of selfishness that’s directly opposed to the fundamental idea of motherhood. 

‘And as I grew older, in my case the court had to step in and send my brother and I towards my father, who’s an incredible guy. 

‘But that selfishness is something the legal system also observed, and said that she was unfit, and I think as I have aged I’ve looked back on a lot of circumstances of that entire environment and I see a person that grapples with mental illness, drug abuse, but primarily narcissism. 

‘A wicked narcissism. The inability to perceive anything out your own perspective, and that just doesn’t work with being a mother, with being a family in general.’ 

Sprouse previously discussed his upbringing on the Call Her Daddy podcast, during which he claimed his mother frittered away their childhood earnings. 

He told the Spotify show, ‘When my father was given forced custody, we had pretty much lost everything from the [earliest] parts of our career.’

Addressing his mother’s unstable state, he noted: ‘I think it was the consequence of some alchemy of addiction and mental instability, and it’s probably the greatest wound in my life.’

Previously: Sprouse and his twin brother Dylan became household names after landing lead roles in Disney series The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody when they were 12-years old

Artistic: ‘She was a wonderful painter, so she always wanted some sort of artistic recognition and validation. But as time went on I think the entertainment industry just kind of broke her,’ Sprouse said of his mother (pictured in 2000)

Looking back: ‘I’ve looked back on a lot of circumstances of that entire environment and I see a person that grapples with mental illness, drug abuse, but primarily narcissism,’ he added