Overview

• During a June 2025 appearance on Hot Ones, Aaron Paul recounted how Bryan Cranston repeatedly led him to believe his Breaking Bad character was being killed off
• Cranston enlisted crew members to stage casket fittings and delivered solemn embraces before Paul discovered his character remained alive
• Jesse Pinkman was originally scripted to die at the end of Season 1, but Vince Gilligan’s team kept him after noticing Paul and Cranston’s strong on-screen rapport
• The actors have remained close friends since, with Paul describing Cranston as his best friend and his son’s godfather
• Breaking Bad aired on AMC from 2008 to 2013, earning 58 Emmy nominations and 16 wins and spawning the spinoff Better Call Saul and the film El Camino