Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair will bring us all the nostalgia from the early 2000s, with most of the cast reprising their roles — except one. Erik Per Sullivan, who played Dewey in the original series, was noticeably replaced by Caleb Ellsworth-Clark in the role. Naturally, fans are curious why Erik declined the reboot after he was offered “buckets of money to come back,” according to Jane Kaczmarek, who is reprising her role as Lois.
“He’s studying Dickens and is an incredible student — they offered him buckets of money to come back, and he just said: ‘No thank you,’” Jane told The Guardian ahead of the show’s April 10, 2026, release date.
Below, News47.us explains where Erik is now and why he was the only original Malcolm in the Middle cast member not returning for the reboot.
Erik has retired from acting. He now leads a private life and focuses on academia.
While starring in Malcolm in the Middle for six years, Erik also appeared in a handful of films and shows, including The Cider House Rules, Unfaithful and Christmas With the Kranks.
Despite the apparent “buckets of money” the production team offered Erik, he turned down the offer because he’s not an actor anymore.
In fact, Bryan Cranston previously revealed that his former on-screen son was “the only one who didn’t come back to act in the show” because of the new life he’s living.
