You know the guy. He’s standing there, mostly silent, looking like he could either crush a soda can with his mind or fall asleep standing up. That’s Huell Babineaux. If you’ve spent any time in the Vince Gilligan universe, you’ve definitely wondered about the man behind the heavy breathing and the iconic "Landslide" physical comedy. Lavell Crawford is the actor who plays Huell in Breaking Bad, and honestly, the story of how he got there—and what he did after—is just as interesting as a bag of Walter White's blue glass.
Crawford didn't just appear out of thin air. Before he was Saul Goodman’s "A-Team" muscle, he was a titan of the stand-up comedy circuit. We're talking 1990s ComicView on BET and Def Comedy Jam royalty. He has this specific way of telling a story that makes you feel like you're sitting on a porch in St. Louis with him. It’s that comedic timing that makes Huell so much more than just a background extra.
✨ Don't miss: Why the Charlie Sheen Documentary on Netflix Is Finally Setting the Record Straight
Why Lavell Crawford Was the Perfect Huell Babineaux
Finding the right person for Huell was tricky. The character needed to be intimidating but also weirdly lovable. When Lavell Crawford walked in, he brought a presence that was "reasonably" perfect.
In Breaking Bad, Huell is mostly the muscle. He’s the guy who lifts Jesse’s ricin cigarette without Jesse even feeling a breeze. That takes a specific kind of physical grace that Crawford, despite his size at the time, possessed in spades. He and Bill Burr (who played Kuby) became this bizarro-world version of Laurel and Hardy. One is a high-strung redhead with a loud mouth, and the other is a stoic, mountain-sized man who just wants to go home and use his own bathroom.
But it was Better Call Saul that really let Crawford shine. We got to see the "Coushatta" side of Huell. We learned he’s a master pickpocket from Louisiana who just happens to be loyal to a fault. When Jimmy McGill needed someone to slip a battery into Chuck’s pocket during a high-stakes court hearing, Huell was the only man for the job. It wasn’t just about being big; it was about being slick.
The Weight Loss Journey Everyone Noticed
If you watched Better Call Saul after finishing Breaking Bad, you probably did a double-take. Huell looked... different.
Lavell Crawford underwent a massive transformation between the two shows. He lost over 120 pounds (some reports say up to 180 lbs eventually) after undergoing gastric sleeve surgery. He’s been really open about it in his stand-up specials, like New Look, Same Funny!. He did it because he wanted to be around for his wife and son. It’s a rare case where an actor’s real-life health journey actually had to be written into the "logic" of a prequel, though the show mostly just let his talent do the talking.
More Than Just a Bodyguard: Crawford’s Career
It’s easy to pigeonhole him as the "Breaking Bad guy," but Crawford is a Grammy-nominated artist. Seriously. His 2021 special The Comedy Vaccine was nominated for Best Comedy Album.
👉 See also: Who are the Soft Cell band members? The duo that defined synth-pop and stayed weird
He’s popped up in everything. You might have seen him as:
- Landslide in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (where he literally tried to poop his way to fame).
- Gus Patch in Adam Sandler’s The Ridiculous 6.
- Voice roles in Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Legends of Chamberlain Heights.
He’s a workhorse. Even when he wasn't on a hit AMC show, he was grinding in comedy clubs across the country. He’s often said that "a comedian is always acting," and you can see that in how he plays Huell. He doesn't need ten pages of dialogue to tell you what Huell is thinking. He just needs a look.
The Huell "Waiting" Meme
We have to talk about the room. You know the one. At the end of Breaking Bad, the DEA puts Huell in a safe house and tells him not to leave.
And then... the show ends.
For years, fans joked that Huell was still sitting in that room, waiting for Hank Schrader to come back. It became one of the biggest memes in TV history. Vince Gilligan eventually had to clear the air, confirming that Huell eventually got tired of waiting and just left. There was even a "Huell’s Rules" fake sitcom teaser that played into the joke. It just goes to show how much people connected with a character who probably had fewer than 50 lines in the entire original series.
What You Should Watch Next
If you only know Lavell Crawford from his silent stares as Huell, you’re missing out on the best parts of his talent. Start with his stand-up. Can a Brother Get Some Love? is a classic for a reason. It shows the energy he brings when he’s not playing the quiet guy.
Then, go back and watch the Better Call Saul episode "Coushatta." It’s basically a love letter to the character of Huell and shows the lengths Jimmy and Kim would go to save him. It cements Huell not just as an employee, but as part of the family.
📖 Related: Looking Through Water: Why the New Michael Douglas Movie Almost Never Happened
To see the full range of the man who plays Huell in Breaking Bad, your next step should be checking out his 2023 special, Thee Lavell Crawford. It’s the best way to see how he’s evolved his comedy to match his "new look" while keeping that same St. Louis bite that got him hired in Albuquerque in the first place.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you want to dive deeper into the world of Lavell Crawford and the making of Huell Babineaux, here is what you can do:
- Watch the "Huell's Rules" short: It was a Funny or Die sketch that gave fans the "closure" they wanted after Breaking Bad ended.
- Listen to his Grammy-nominated album: Search for The Comedy Vaccine on Spotify or Apple Music to hear his perspective on the 2020s.
- Check out the "Chicanery" episode: Re-watch Better Call Saul Season 3, Episode 5. Pay close attention to the pickpocketing scene; it was actually performed with minimal camera tricks to showcase Crawford's physical dexterity.
By moving beyond the memes and looking at his decades-long comedy career, it's clear that Lavell Crawford isn't just a guy who stood in the background—he's a seasoned performer who helped ground one of the greatest TV universes ever made.