Dylan Sprouse refused to make a "fat joke" on 'The Suite Life of Zack and Cody'.

Actress Kim Rhodes - who played twins Dylan and Cole Sprouse's mother on the classic Disney Channel series - has recalled the way the child star reacted to show bosses trying to make a joke about her pregnancy.

The 54-year-old actress told the 'Back to the Best' podcast: “I got pregnant when I was on the show, and of course the show dealt with it by making fat jokes.

“And one of my favorite memories is Dylan had a line that was a fat joke and he just kept skipping over it.

"It was, like, in the middle of a chunk of dialogue, so he kept skipping this laugh line.”

Kim can still remember everyone going to film the scene for the studio audience and Dylan - who played Zack on the show alongside brother Cole as Cody - skipping over the line to the fury of the executive producer backstage.

She added: "He goes, 'Cut! Dylan! Say the line!' And [Dylan] goes, 'I would not disrespect any woman that way, let alone this women. You write something funny and I'll say it.'

"That's my little man."

She admitted both the twins, now 31, was "protective" of herself and the rest of the cast, including Ashley Tisdale and Brenda Song.

She explained: "They understood that – like, early on, Phil [Lewis] was like, ‘Look, you are the only two people on this set that are not expendable, so you take the bullet, every time.’ And they took that so seriously.

Kim revealed she isn't in contract with the duo anymore, noting "they were kids" when they worked together.

She pointed out: “I often tell people when they’re like, ‘Aw, you don’t keep in contact?’

"I’m like, ‘Think about your favorite teacher in middle school. Think about your favorite teacher. Now as much as you love them, you’re probably not still in contact with them.’ ”