If you’re a fan of Bob’s Burgers, you know Jimmy Pesto as Bob’s business rival and all around annoying person. Turns out fiction is somewhat mired in fact because Jay Johnston, voice actor for Pesto, has been arrested for his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot.
Johnston is a fairly well known actor. In addition to Bob’s Burgers, he’s appeared in shows like Arrested Development, Mr. Show and the movie Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. According to court documents shared by NBC News, Johnston was charged with felony obstruction of officers during civil disorder and a few other misdemeanors.
The document is full of pictures and shows Johnston on CCTV stealing a riot shield and beckoning other rioters to push past officers to break into the Capitol. Here’s a sample:
“According to Video 3, at the approximate time that JOHNSTON is holding the shield and moving it forward, other rioters are calling for a “shield wall” to be made. JOHNSTON then participated with other rioters in a group assault on the officers defending the LWT entrance. Specifically, several members of the crowd joined together to push against police in a concerted movement. JOHNSTON participated in this concerted movement and pushed along with other
rioters for several seconds.”
Wow. Things are not looking great for ol’ Johnston, who was banned from Bob’s Burgers in December of 2021.
Johnston’s attorney reportedly contacted FBI’s National Threat Operations Center in 2021 and three people who previously worked with him confirmed his identity. He turned himself in to the FBI field office in Los Angeles, per the UPI.
Johnston is a successful comedic actor with an impressive pedigree. Why he chose to throw it all away for a yellow-haired demagogue gasbag is something only he knows. Sentences for rioters has been fairly stiff, especially the more high profile ones, ostensibly to send a message about the seriousness of the crimes.
For example, Richard “Bigo” Barnett became infamous after he was photographed with his feet on Nancy Pelosi’s desk. He was recently sentenced to four years in jail. A man named Peter Schwartz from Kentucky was sentenced to 14 years for attacking capitol police with pepper spray and a chair.
Patrick McCaughey III, who used a riot shield to crush an officer in a door frame, was sentenced to seven years and six months. So far, there have been about 1,000 arrests made, with hundreds more coming.
It remains to be seen what will happen to Johnston, but one thing’s for sure: he’s not going to be on Bob’s Burgers again anytime soon.
