RJ Mitte’s manager left him in serious debt after Breaking Bad despite 'tens of millions' in earnings

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.

RJ Mitte died yesterday, 12 October, aged 34, which has led many Breaking Bad fans to re-examine old interviews in which he opened up about his struggles.

Mitte struggled with financial troubles he suffered off the back of the beloved show. He claims that he was paid 'more in taxes' than he made from Breaking Bad, despite a multi-million dollar salary.

Mitte, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was three years old, worked as a disability rights activist in the years following his iconic role on the AMC TV show.

He continued to act in smaller roles after Breaking Bad, with Bryan Cranston paying tribute to his performance in the TV show, saying he approached the role with ‘such joy and enthusiasm’.

Despite this, and the global success of the series, a rogue manager meant that Mitte didn’t actually financially profit from Breaking Bad.

Mitte was scammed by a business manager who faked tax documents and stole 'tens of millions' of his money

Speaking to the Ice Coffee Hour podcast the actor revealed that he had paid more in taxes than he actually made from Breaking Bad due to a rogue manager stealing his money.

He explained that he had a ‘bad business manager’, explaining that she would fake tax filings and take the money he gave her to pay his taxes.

This caused his tax bill to balloon, with Mitte explaining: “Like five years later, with compound interest at like 17% on that total number for each year, you get this nice big check.

"It only took me 10 years to pay it off."

Mitte also claimed that the manager was ‘still around’ and had not been jailed as a result of the incident.

The Breaking Bad star explained that the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) ‘doesn’t really care about you’, explaining: “They only care that you make sure that you're paying it — and anyone else that handles that is your fault because you did not do your due diligence.

“You call your (accountant)… call a forensic accountant, and then you figure out, okay, what happened?"

Mitte added that he found 14 other actors who had been scammed by the same manager in similar circumstances, several of which were disabled actors.

He was unable to come after her criminally due to the way the money was wired into offshore accounts, claiming that she stole tens of millions of dollars from him. He finally said: “You're talking years of litigation, years of appeals, years of forensic accountants so the cost is probably going to be in the millions.

“Then it's like, can you recover? Probably not."

Mitte's Breaking Bad cast-mates have paid emotional tributes to the actor

The actor died at the age of just 34, with many of the cast of Breaking Bad paying tribute to him in emotional statements.

His family released a statement confirming his death to Variety, asking for respect for the 'privacy of RJ Mitte’s family and close ones'.

Aaron Paul joined Cranston in paying tribute to the actor, saying in a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter: "I am at a loss. I am heartbroken over this news. RJ, I love you my friend. You will be missed. And to whoever happens to be reading this, please know you are loved, and you are not alone. Always remember that."

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123 or contact Harmless by visiting their website https://harmless.org.uk.