RJ Mitte, ‘Breaking Bad’ actor who played Walter White Jr., dies at 34
Actor and disability advocate RJ Mitte, who played Walter "Flynn" White Jr. on "Breaking Bad," has died at age 34.
RJ Mitte, the actor who played Walter White Jr. on "Breaking Bad," has died.
"It is with profound sadness we share the tragic passing of beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate RJ Mitte," Mitte's representative told Fox News Digital.
"RJ Mitte was best known for his role as Walter 'Flynn' White Jr. on AMC’s critically acclaimed, award-winning series Breaking Bad. Drawing from his own experience living with cerebral palsy, Mitte brought authenticity to the role and built a platform on disability awareness and inclusion," the statement continued. "Beyond entertaining friends and family around the world, he served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s."
The statement noted that Mitte also served as president of The Mitte Foundation, which supports philanthropic efforts and community initiatives, while using his platform to challenge stereotypes and promote greater representation for people with disabilities.
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Mitte’s cause of death was not immediately disclosed. Like his character on the Emmy Award-winning show, Mitte had cerebral palsy and was a disability rights advocate.
Last week, Mitte appeared on "The Joe Vulpis Podcast" and spoke about how "Breaking Bad" changed his life and on his close relationship with the cast years after the show's finale, TMZ reported.
After appearing in TV shows including "Hannah Montana" and "Vegas," Mitte made his career breakthrough at age 15 in 2008 when he landed the role of Walter White Jr., the son of the series' main character and antihero Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and his wife Skyler (Anna Gunn), on "Breaking Bad."
Mitte starred in all five seasons of the hit AMC series, which received 16 Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and three Screen Actors Guild Awards during its run from 2008 to 2014.
In 2014, he won a Screen Actors Guild Award alongside the "Breaking Bad" cast for outstanding ensemble performance in a drama series. Mitte was also honored with the SAG-AFTRA Harold Russell Award at the 2013 Media Access Awards, which recognize inclusive portrayals and employment of people with disabilities in media.
The actor, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age 3, previously spoke out about using the visibility he gained from "Breaking Bad" to advocate for broader representation of performers with disabilities.
During a 2015 interview with the Badger Herald, he shared that he viewed his disability as a source of strength, saying it helped shape the actor and advocate he became.
"I think everyone that has a disability has the opportunity to make an impact with what they can do and who they are. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do today if it wasn’t for my disability and what it instilled in me," Mitte said.
Mitte often credited "Breaking Bad" with transforming his life and career. He previously said he believed Walter Jr. resonated with the disability community because his cerebral palsy was part of the character, but not the center of his story.
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"Walt Jr. had cerebral palsy but he wasn’t disabled," he said on "ListenABLE" podcast in Sept. 2021. "That’s the biggest thing that I feel is so important when we see characters on television that represent individuals with disabilities. Their disability isn’t what makes them a character. It’s who they are, where they came from and how they got there through determination and strength and that’s what makes them so strong and independent."
After "Breaking Bad" ended, Mitte went on to appear in a recurring role on the hit ABC series "Switched at Birth." His other television work included roles in "Chance," "This Close," "Now Apocalypse" and "The Guardians of Justice (Will Save You!)."
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Mitte also appeared in movies including "Who's Driving Doug," "Time Share," "Standing Up for Sunny," "The Oak Room," "Love Me Dead" and "Westhampton." The actor executive produced and starred in the 2021 coming of age film "Triumph," in which he played a high school senior with cerebral palsy who is determined to join his school’s wrestling team.
He most recently starred in the drama "Talking to Strangers," which was released in July. Mitte, who has several upcoming projects listed on IMDB, made his last public appearance at a screening of "Talking to Strangers" in Beverly Hills on Sept. 30, less than two weeks before his death.
In addition to serving as the president of the Mitte Foundation, Mitte was also an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s and worked with SAG-AFTRA’s disability inclusion efforts.
Mitte announced his engagement to his longtime girlfriend Kennedy Suarez in October 2025.
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A few days before his death, Mitte shared his final Instagram post, which included a clip from his appearance on "The Joe Vulpis Podcast" in which he discussed the possibility of continuing the story of Walter White's family following the fictional drug lord's death in the show's finale.
"The White Family Isn’t Over @thejoe #breakingbad," he wrote in the caption.
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"I don’t think it was an end; I think it was really the end of Heisenberg’s journey," he said in the clip. "But I don’t think that was the end of Skyler and Walt and Holly’s journey. You know I think there’s a lot of unanswered questions there, that for them will probably never be answered."
"I think there’s still a big step for the White family," Mitte added.
Mitte also admitted that "Breaking Bad," which is widely considered one of the greatest TV shows of all time, set an almost impossible standard for the rest of his career.
"I just want to top ‘Breaking Bad,’ that’s the hardest," he said. "That is literally said, a bar for myself as a young man that is kinda unattainable. I tell people, ‘Look, it’s a long way down from the top of the mountain."
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