Frankie Muniz says his parents split up while he was pursuing his career in Hollywood as a child star -- something that clearly affected him ... 'cause he got emotional talking about it.
The actor-turned-race car driver got emotional on a recent episode of Australia's "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me out of Here!" when he was asked how his fame on "Malcolm in the Middle" (and everything else around that time) impacted his family unit.
As it turns out, Frankie says stardom changed a lot of things in his household -- including the fact that his parents got a divorce as he and his mother, Denise, moved to L.A. so he could act.
FM says his father stayed behind at their North Carolina home with his sister -- and he says while he was working, his parents' relationship fell apart ... and in the aftermath, he says they were never really a complete family ever again the way they once were.
It's a sad story -- and Frankie goes on to say in the confessional that he owes his success to his family -- whom he says made incredible sacrifices -- and he wants to thank them.
Frankie clearly has some regrets over how it all shook out ... but by the same token, he also acknowledges he was fortunate to have struck gold the way he did in showbiz. Catch-22.
We covered it all on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.