In an interview conducted recently, Patrick Ball shared his experience about finally being able to pay back $80,000 worth of student loans thanks to the success of his hit show, The Pitt. According to Ball, he had been paying back the loans for over a decade and assumed that he would be carrying them till the end of his life. However, shortly after joining the show, Ball got to make the final payment and clear his balance once and for all.
How paying off his loans changed Patrick Ball’s life
As Ball pointed out in the interview, the loans had affected every aspect of his life as an adult. The actor said that having that balance meant he couldn’t live anywhere he wanted, work in any job, or imagine starting a family anytime soon. Ball also mentioned that he had experienced a significant number of relationship problems because of being financially insecure all the time.
“I thought I was going to die with it. It wasn’t just a number; it was a ceiling on every decision I made,” Ball said.
“It was incredible,” he said. “I didn’t realize how much space it was taking up in my brain until it was gone.”
After the interview, Ball joked about clearing his balance via Instagram. He shared a screenshot with a zero balance next to his name and wrote, “I am out of debt. No take-backsies on that” underneath.
According to the actor, he had assumed that he was going to be paying back his loans until the end of his days. He described it as exhausting because it seemed like no matter what he did, it wouldn’t change anything. Shortly after starring in The Pitt, the actor was able to make the final payment within the first three months.
The show has become one of the biggest successes of the year 2025 and stars Noah Wyle. It was created by R. Scott Gemmill. After making the last payment, Ball said that he sat in his car and cried for 20 minutes after pressing the submit button.
Additionally, Ball decided to share his thoughts about the high costs of arts education, saying that artists shouldn’t be put in a position of risking their financial future to succeed in the industry.
