“She's pregnant, he's making crystal methamphetamine”: Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston defends one of the most hated character in TV history

Bryan Cranston is coming to the defence of one of Breaking Bad's most controversial debates, giving fans a new perspective on the most hated characters on the show. During a recent appearance on Hot Ones Versus with Frankie Muniz, the two reconnected while promoting Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair. Muniz hit Cranston with a loaded question, asking him who is the better wife, Skyler from Breaking Bad or Lois, the beloved mom from their '90s sitcom. Skyler is his character Walter White's wife in the show, a character audiences notoriously despised.

Cranston answered diplomatically at first, saying "Strictly from a character standpoint, Lois." But then Muniz admitted that he "wanted to kill Skyler to make [your character's] life easier." He framed her as annoying for complaining while Walter was making money, but Cranston came to her defence, as he pointed out that actress Anna Gunn got "a lot of blowback" for the role, with viewers wanting Skyler to basically disappear. Talking about her character he stated,

"Well, first of all, Anna Gun is a superb actor..Let me understand this. Her husband leaves without any explanation. She's pregnant. He's making crystal methamphetamine and people have died and she's the b*itch. Like, we couldn't understand."

Is Skyler White actually the worst character on Breaking Bad?

Skyler White was widely despised by Breaking Bad viewers, with fans calling her out for being "annoying" and dragging Walter's character down. On one hand, it led to silly debates among fans but the other, much darker side was much worse. It involved death threats, harassment of actress Anna Gunn and platforms dedicated to hating her. And yet, somehow, the actual meth kingpin who murdered people was deemed as iconic, beloved and quotable.

Creator Vince Gilligan admitted the show was "rigged" against Skyler because of how Cranston's performance humanized Walt, and couldn't deny sexism's role in the hate the character received. Gunn herself wrote a piece on the New York Times about the scrutiny she faced while she played Skyler where she wrote,

“Skyler is, in a sense, his [Walter White’s] antagonist. So from the beginning, I was aware that she might not be the show’s most popular character.

Looking back, Skyler White wasn't Breaking Bad's worst character; far from it actually. She was the show's most honest mirror and fans hated her because she refused to celebrate a drug kingpin. She represented the collateral damage of Walter's ego, and that uncomfortable truth made her unbearable to watch. Anna Gunn's portrayal of the character is one of the best roles on the show, and it's a reason why it has survived, aged so well despite all the years it has been around.

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Breaking Bad is available to stream on Netflix.

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