GTA San Andreas CJ Actor Shuts Down Rumor About Money Dispute

CJ From GTA San Andreas Debunks Rumor That He Was Unhappy With His Pay Published Nov 6, 2026, 8:14 AM EST George is the Lead News Editor for TheGamer, and has been working in the industry since 2021 after graduating from the University of South Wales with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. He has also previously written for RPG Site, WhatCulture, and PlayStation Lifestyle. George is an expert on platformers, action games, and fighters, but tends to play as many releases as possible. This hands-on experience lets him dive into gaming communities and follow the latest trends. Some of the games George has extensively covered first-hand include Dead Rising, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, Assassin's Creed Shadows, and Ninja Gaiden 4. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas star Young Maylay has shot down the long-standing rumours that he was unhappy with his pay for playing CJ. As the insurmountable hype for GTA 6 has more than reminded us, Rockstar’s mainstay series is easily the biggest in all of gaming. That makes it a massive opportunity for anyone who appears in them, especially when it comes to playing the leading characters, like Tommy, CJ, Michael, Niko, and Franklin. We’ve seen both the good and the bad of what it means to star in a Rockstar game, from Roger Clark’s love of everything Arthur Morgan to Steven Ogg’s annoyance at mostly being known for Trevor. On the more serious side of things, some actors have even been vocally dissatisfied with the end result of their work, which thankfully isn’t the case for one of GTA’s most iconic protagonists. Young Maylay Says GTA San Andreas Pay Rumors Are False “You Don’t Know What I Got” For some time now, it’s appeared that Young Maylay, who played Carl Johnson in San Andreas, was unhappy with his time on what many call the best GTA game. The beef all started in 2020 when Maylay called Rockstar “culture vultures” for profiting off their depiction of gang culture, which many took as a sign he felt undercompensated. While it might be true that Maylay isn’t keen on working with Rockstar again, it isn't about the money. Earlier this week, Michael de Santa actor Ned Luke released the latest episode of The Final Mission, which featured Young Maylay. As pointed out by Twitter user papaRPG_, Maylay took the chance to dispel the rumours of a pay dispute. Maylay called the rumours a “misconception” and that he knew what he was getting paid going into it because of the contract he signed. CJ’s actor also noted that no one knows what he got for his time on the game, and that Rockstar gave him “bonuses out of nowhere” and a care package when the game released, which he described as giving him “more” than he expected. It was also revealed that Rockstar had already made CJ’s character model when Mayday got to the project, so his likeness wasn’t used like for other GTA protagonists. After pointing out that Rockstar could have made anyone famous with the role of CJ, Maylay concluded by calling the pay rumours “bulls**t” and that he wouldn’t have done the project if he wasn’t happy with it. It still seems from the actor’s earlier comments that he’s not entirely happy with Rockstar as a whole, but the payday isn't why. Of course, it’s not like there isn’t a precedent for GTA actors being unhappy with the pay for their work. Niko Bellic actor Michael Hollick was openly against the $100,000 flat rate he received for 15 months of work on, at the time, the biggest game in the world, although a lot of that blame was laid on SAG instead of Rockstar specifically.