Bryan Cranston Defends Divisive Breaking Bad Character

So, Malcolm in the Middle is officially back—as Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair—with all four new episodes now up on Hulu. Fans are eating it up, and it also means the cast is out making the rounds together. For example, Frankie Muniz (Malcolm himself) and his 'dad' Bryan Cranston (yep, that Bryan Cranston) recently stopped by Hot Ones—that show where celebrities torch their mouths with progressively hotter wings while trying to string sentences together. Standard promo stuff, except things got a little more interesting than your average wing-induced meltdown.

Naturally, Cranston’s post-Malcolm career—i.e., the juggernaut that was Breaking Bad—came up. That show was more than just peak TV drama; at its apex, it inspired non-stop internet debates, Tumblr thinkpieces, and more memes than I care to count. One debate, apparently, is immortal: Why did so many people loathe Skyler White, Walt’s wife and the show’s one true moral compass? To be fair, Muniz wasn’t immune.

"I loved Breaking Bad," Muniz told Cranston. "I wanted to kill Skyler, to make your life easier."

If you watched the show or even just tried to avoid spoilers, you remember Skyler (played by Anna Gunn): Walt’s spouse, who tries to hold the family together, learns about the meth empire, tries to ditch Walt, gets roped back in, and finally lets go. And, for her trouble, Skyler became the most unjustly hated wife on television.

Wait, Are We Still Doing This?

Quick reminder—while Skyler was vilified online at the time (Breaking Bad wrapped in 2013), Anna Gunn actually got threatened and harassed by actual fans that could not (or would not) distinguish fiction from reality. So when Muniz admitted, even jokingly, that he was still anti-Skyler, Cranston took the opportunity to set him—and everyone else—straight:

'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 bitch?'

You could kind of see the epiphany in Muniz’s face (or at least you’d like to think so). He relented: 'When you put it that way, I get it.'

Why Skyler Hate Refuses to Die

It’s been over a decade since Breaking Bad ended, and yet—judging by this Hot Ones exchange—the collective grudge against Skyler White, the character, just refuses to die. For what it’s worth, Muniz stopped short of going after Anna Gunn herself. That’s more courtesy than plenty of fans showed back during the show’s run. Gunn herself wrote a New York Times op-ed about it:

'Because Walter is the show's protagonist, there is a natural tendency to empathize with and root for him, despite his moral failings. Besides being frightened (and taking steps to ensure my safety), I was also astonished: how had disliking a character spiraled into homicidal rage at the actress playing her?'

Where to Stream, If You Like Your Families Dysfunctional

• Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair — All 4 episodes are up on Hulu
• Breaking Bad — All 5 seasons are on Netflix

At least someone’s willing to stick up for the cast, even if their character (Walt) would definitely not do the same. Team Cranston, every time.