The former child star admits he had a “complicated relationship” with money during the early years of his career.

Jason Bateman says there was pressure from parents to ‘not get fired’ as child actor

The former child star admits he had a "complicated relationship" with money during the early years of his career.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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June 21, 2026 12:44 p.m. ET

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Jason Bateman in 1981 and 2025. Credit:

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Mathew Tsang/Getty

- Jason Bateman explains his "complicated relationship" to money as a former child actor.

- The *Ozark* alum, who got his start in Hollywood at age 11, recalls being aware that he was providing significant income for his family.

- But in some ways, Bateman argues, that gave him a "healthy" relationship to making money – especially compared to those who inherited fortunes.

Money is still somewhat of a touchy subject for Jason Bateman.

The actor and director, who was just 11 when he got his start in Hollywood, still has a "complicated relationship" to money after spending his childhood as a major breadwinner for his family.

During a June 13 live taping of Vulture's *Good One*, host Jesse David Fox bluntly asked the *Ozark* alum how much money he has, to which Bateman jokingly replied, "F--- you, how about that?"

Getting more reflective on the subject, Bateman declined to share any numbers but was very much willing to discuss his relationship to finances — especially when reflecting on his days as a child actor.

"Both my parents were my managers, so what I made was very helpful to our bottom line each month," he shared. "So there was a great deal of pressure to kind of, 'Don't get fired.'"

Jason Bateman as James Cooper Ingalls, Michael Landon as Charles Philip Ingalls, Missy Francis as Cassandra Cooper Ingalls in 'Little House on the Prairie'.

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty

Making matters more complicated, Bateman noted that his schoolwork added another layer of stress because he was required to maintain a C average to keep his work permit.

"It was rough," Bateman admitted. "But as anxiety-inducing as it was, there was this muscle that I developed where I knew I could generate money so I was not that nervous about spending money because I felt I could replace it."

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He added that on the flip side, he has several friends who are "incredibly wealthy because their parents were incredibly wealthy and they inherited a bunch of money," but pointed out that they are much less willing to spend money because they didn't make it themselves.

"They feel every dollar out, they're not going to be able to get back," Bateman explained.

So, despite the pressure that came with pulling in so much money for his family as a child, Bateman indicated that he was grateful for the "healthy" way it influenced his ability to spend without worrying.

He added, "I feel enormously fortunate that things have worked out for me… I don't have to take jobs that aren't creatively exciting for me."

Araya Doheny/Getty

Bateman previously opened up about the pressure that came from his child acting days during a sit-down with Conan O’Brien last year.

“My parents were my managers, and they were making more money doing that than what they were," he explained on O'Brien's podcast, *Conan Needs a Friend*. "My mom was a flight attendant for Pan Am. My dad was a freelance writer, director, producer. And, you know, 15% of what I was making at that time just ended up being more than what they were making in their careers."

He added, "It became an important component … like, we were living in a certain condo that we wouldn't be able to live in if they were just using their salaries."

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After beginning his career at 11, Bateman landed early roles on TV hits such as *Little House on the Prairie**, Silver Spoons,* and *It’s Your Move. *He would eventually star in the long-running sitcom *The Hogan Family* (originally called *Valerie*), which ran from 1986 to 1991. After a few quieter years, Bateman enjoyed a resurgence of sorts after landing *Arrested Development** *in 2003 and went on to star in the Netflix hit, *Ozark*.

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