RJ Mitte made eye-opening confession about his Breaking Bad pay 11 months before his tragic death

DAILYMAIL.COM • 59m ago

By SHARON MAI, ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER 08:00 13 Oct 2026, updated 08:00 13 Oct 2026

RJ Mitte made an astounding confession about how much he earned from Breaking Bad prior to his unexpected death on Monday at just 34.

He most famously portrayed Bryan Cranston’s onscreen son, Walter White Jr, on 56 episodes of the award-winning TV series.

Twelve years after the show’s five-season run concluded in 2013, the actor revealed how he ‘paid more in taxes than [he] got from Breaking Bad.’

He made the admission in early November 2025, less than a year before his tragic death at age 34 on Monday.

The actor died in Brownsville, Texas, a county official confirmed to TMZ. The publication also reported that Mitte had allegedly died by suicide.

In an interview that resurfaced after his tragic death, and was previously filmed and released 11 months ago, he opened up about his earnings from acting on the financial podcast, The Iced Coffee Hour.

Mitte, who had mild cerebral palsy and was an outspoken disability rights advocate, reflected on landing his first role on Breaking Bad and starring on the show as a teenager.

In spite of how the AMC series became a mainstream hit and a cultural phenomenon after hitting Netflix, he admitted that he was ‘not even [close]’ to becoming a millionaire.

Regarding his paychecks, Mitte explained that he ‘paid more in taxes’ than he earned and revealed that he did not receive any residuals due to the show making it big on streaming.

He said he had a Coogan Account, a trust to protect a minor’s earnings as a performer into which 15 percent of the minor’s earnings must be set aside until they reach the age of majority.

He explained that at one point he was ‘paying to keep my career going’ in a resurfaced interview.

‘Just the name of the game with it, you know,’ he said. ‘I was paying to keep pushing forward and to keep doing that … and everything went back into the business.

He shook his head when discussing whether he made a profit from starring on the show or earned any ‘excess’ after his bills were paid.

When asked if he went into Breaking Bad knowing how much of a cultural impact the show would have, Mitte claimed he did and raved about the people he worked with, both in front of and behind the camera.

‘You know, we knew we had something special,’ he said before saying he ‘[recommends] to people all the time [to] read the pilot’ of Breaking Bad because ‘that is, in my opinion, one of the best written episodes.’

He said he was paid ‘minimum’ and said it was his ‘first speaking job ever.’

‘Breaking Bad was not, like, very lucrative as far as like across the board,’ Mitte shared.

‘Every season we were told that we were canceled. We just did not have the viewership until streaming,’ he continued.

‘You know that was our big moment, when streaming came in and people binge-viewed Breaking Bad,’ he added. ‘But up until that point, it was a struggle every year. It wasn’t much.’

When the cohosts of the podcast asked him about rumors online that claimed he was worth $3 to $5 million, he denied the speculation.

‘I think it’s what I’ve earned in my entire life,’ he said.

Mitte also shared in the interview: ‘One thing that did put a damper on me, I did have a bad business manager.’

On Monday, representatives for the beloved actor confirmed he had died, saying in a statement: ‘It is with profound sadness we share the tragic passing of beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate RJ Mitte.

‘RJ Mitte was best known for his role as Walter “Flynn” White Jr. on AMC’s critically acclaimed, award-winning series Breaking Bad,’ the statement continued.

‘Drawing from his own experience living with cerebral palsy, Mitte brought authenticity to the role and built a platform on disability awareness and inclusion.

‘Beyond entertaining friends and family around the world, he served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s.’

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