Former actor Jay Johnston was sentenced on Monday, October 28th, to one year and one day in prison for participating in the attack on the U.S. Captiol on January 6th, 2021. Nearly four years on from the attempted coup that resulted in six event-related deaths, the former Bob’s Burgers actor was identified by fans and fellow comedians during an FBI manhunt for rioters, having recognized Johnson through his previous, numerous roles in television and the alt-comedy circuit.
Who is Jay Johnston?
Jay Johnston (born 1968) is an American comedian, actor, and voice actor. An alum of Chicago’s iconic Second City comedy troupe, Johnston is perhaps best known for his collaborations with comedians Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, with the former being a contemporary of his at Second City.
Johnston worked as a writer and occasional actor on Mr. Show with Bob and David with Odenkirk and Cross, respectively. Johnston appeared alongside Cross on ten episodes of Arrested Development as Officer Taylor, where Cross portrayed supporting character Tobias Fünke throughout the cult comedy series. Johnston also had a brief cameo on an episode of Better Call Saul, the Breaking Bad prequel series where Odenkirk portrayed lead character Saul Goodman/Jimmy McGill.
Johnston has played small roles in various sitcoms, including Parks and Recreation, Malcolm in the Middle, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Jay’s most prominent role, however, was the voice-only role of Jimmy Pesto, an Italian restaurant owner who is Bob Belcher’s occasional business rival on Bob’s Burgers. After his 2023 arrest by the FBI, the role was recast with fellow voice actor Eric Bauza replacing Johnston.
Johnston’s role in the Capitol riots
In March 2021, the FBI tweeted images of Johnston from January 6th, looking to identify the attacker with the help of the social app – resulting in countless comedy fans recognizing the actor from his previous work. Fellow comedian Tim Heidecker confirmed in a since-deleted tweet that the images were of Johnston. Footage from the riots showed Johnston “in a heave-ho push against police officers guarding a tunnel entrance to the Capitol,” according to The Guardian, joking with fellow rioters and recording his own footage of the event.
In December of that year, The Daily Beast reported that the FBI had worked alongside several former co-stars of Johnston’s to investigate his actions, which led to the decision of the actor being fired from Bob’s Burgers. Fox Animation, the production company behind Bob’s Burgers, did not comment on Johnston’s arrest at the time, and has yet to publicly address him leaving the cartoon sitcom.
In 2023, Johnston was finally arrested and charged with “obstruction of law enforcement,” in addition to “misdemeanors involving entering a restricted area and hampering the conduct of government business,” according to U.S. District Court documents.
Johnston pleaded guilty in July 2024, and faced up to five years in prison for the conviction. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who oversaw the case and the sentencing, described the comedian’s conduct as “quite problematic” and “reprehensible, really.” Nichols believed the actor showed a lack of remorse in the wake of his actions, citing a 2022 image of Johnston dressed up for Halloween as Jacob Chansley, the horn-wearing “QAnon Shaman” whose image became synonymous with the riots.
For their part, Johnston’s family members claimed the actor was “blacklisted” from Hollywood in the wake of his arrest, and had received no offers or acting gigs as a result.
