RJ Mitte Revealed How Much He Earned From Breaking Bad

Before his unexpected death on Monday at the age of 34, RJ Mitte made a striking revelation about how much he earned from Breaking Bad.

Mitte was best known for playing Walter White Jr., the onscreen son of Bryan Cranston’s character, across 56 episodes of the acclaimed series.

Twelve years after the show’s five-season run ended in 2013, the actor said he had “paid more in taxes than [he] got from Breaking Bad.”

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

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

The comments resurfaced after his death from an interview filmed and released 11 months earlier for the financial podcast The Iced Coffee Hour.

Mitte, who had mild cerebral palsy and advocated publicly for disability rights, recalled securing his first major role on Breaking Bad and working on the series as a teenager.

Although the AMC drama became a mainstream success and a cultural phenomenon after gaining a wider audience on Netflix, he said he was “not even [close]” to becoming a millionaire.

Discussing his compensation, Mitte said he had “paid more in taxes” than he earned from the show. He also said he received no residuals after the series became a major streaming success.

The actor noted that he had a Coogan Account, a trust designed to safeguard a child performer’s earnings. Under the arrangement, 15 percent of a minor’s income is set aside until they reach the age of majority.

At one stage, Mitte said, he was effectively “paying to keep my career going,” as he explained in the 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 asked whether starring in the show had ultimately produced a profit or left him with any “excess” money after his bills were paid.

Asked whether he understood the cultural impact Breaking Bad would have when he joined the cast, Mitte said he did. He also praised the people he worked with, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes.

“You know, we knew we had something special,” he said. Mitte added that he “[recommends] to people all the time [to] read the pilot” because, in his opinion, it is “one of the best written episodes.”

He said he was paid the “minimum” and described the role as 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.’