Jay Johnston reportedly fired from Bob’s Burgers for attending the Capitol riots
Photos appear to show the Mr. Show and Arrested Development alum on the steps of the Capitol Building
Aux News Jay Johnston
We’re coming up on the one-year anniversary of the deadly, horrific insurrection attempt on Capitol Hill in honor of that last guy who still won’t shut up—and very few people have been held accountable for their actions.
However, a new report from The Daily Beast seems to indicate at least one new person is facing consequences at their place of work. Everyone, say hello to Suspect Number 247:
…who, um, seems all-but-certainly to be Jay Johnston—character actor, Mr. Show alum, and voice of Bob’s Burgers fan favorite, Jimmy Pesto Sr.
“According to two people familiar with the matter, top staff at the long-running animated sitcom Bob’s Burgers are no longer allowing Johnston to voice his recurring character,” explain reporters at The Daily Beast.
According to The Daily Beast, the animated sitcom’s cast, crew, and producers are hoping to avoid making “a big deal” out of the whole “participated in a bloody coup attempt” thing.
Johnston has voiced Pesto Sr., in 43 episodes over the show’s 12-season-and-counting run. He last showed up during “The Bridge Over Troubled Rudy,” which first aired this past May. As The Daily Beast notes, however, Johnston has been completely absent during Season 12.
Now, it’s probably important to note here that this hasn’t been confirmed by FOX execs or by Johnston himself (the former has “no comment,” and the latter is staying mum on the matter). Likewise, the FBI has not charged or arrested the veteran character actor as of yet. But all that said, multiple former coworkers and cast mates have voiced their certainty of Johnston’s attendance in the months following the FBI’s first photo releases of Suspect Number 247.
“I’m no detective, but I do know Jay. He said he was there. And that’s him in the picture. So…” tweeted actress Cassandra Church in March. In another, a now deleted tweet, Tim Heidecker wrote that he had Johnston’s attendance “fully confirmed through reliable sources,” although he soon cautioned he “shouldn’t be used as some kind of official source of information or verification.”
So yeah, for legal reasons we cannot say with absolute certainty just yet that Jay Johnston has been largely blacklisted by the comedy community for his participation in January’s MAGA cultist feeding frenzy…but damn. Seriously, Jay?
54 Comments
BUT HE CLIMBED EVEREST!
That sketch is ruined!
NO ONE HELP HIM!
THREE TIMES! YOU WEREN”T HERE!
HOW COULD YOU THINK THAT THIS WAS A STOOL? IDIOT!
He almost finished his story without slipping.
As a huge fan of Mr. Show and a lot of Johnston’s work there, I was bummed enough when I found out this summer that he appeared on the Proud Boy douchebag’s podcast/show or whatever. Ugh, what a waste.
HOW CAN YOU THINK THAT THIS WAS A COUP?!?!?
IDIOT!!!
According to the complete absence of his name on this table, Johnston hasn’t even been charged with anything having to do with the January 6 event. Much less convicted. Does it still sound like justice to fire him just for being present that day?https://www.insider.com/all-the-us-capitol-pro-trump-riot-arrests-charges-names-2021-1
Dude, I was making a Mr Show reference. Nothing more…
My apologies then. I’ve only ever seen a couple of episodes from the Netflix reboot.
Ugh, the Netflix was reboot was terrible. The original is hilarious, however.
[sigh] not knowing that quote and taking your comment seriously would have gotten Zardo guy the boot from old AV Club.
They can fire him for any reason they want. _Presumably_ it was related to the insurrection, and _presumably_ they didn’t like his answers about whether or why he was there, but who knows.
Won’t someone think of the Proud Boy?
Studio decisions are never about morals or justice, but public opinion. If someone is poison to a show, they are cut off, no matter if the association is strong or weak. If feeding puppies become controversial tomorrow, every actor that supports a shelter will be fried.That being said, fuck everyone present or even supporting that shitstorm. That was the result of pure (but thankfully incompetent) evil.
Under the employment-at-will doctrine, an employer can fire an employee for any reason or for no reason at all.
Does it still sound like justice to fire him just for being present that day?You should read the new state level GOP “anti-riot” laws.
I don’t care. A business has a right to not renew a contract with a freelancer over anything that isn’t protected. I imagine there’s lots more at work here and every Trump supporter I’ve ever met has been a toxic nightmare I would never want to work with. Seems like the producers got the social capital to finally get rid of a difficult person. Justice is a legal concept that has to do with crime. This is an employer simply not renewing a contract with a troublesome employee. He is also a entertainer for decades and most likely independently wealthy, so if your big social justice campaign isn’t things like BLM but “why can’t this multimillionare far-right conservative continue to work voicing a cartoon character after trying to murder Mike Pence and AOC” then I suspect you’re just not going to get anyone but other partisans to agree with you.You also don’t know the internal politics of that show. Toxic people like that chase out good people. The top stars might have threatened to quit than work with a 1/6 insurrectionist. The success of Bob’s Burgers depends on maintaining and bringing in quality talent. If his toxic personality and views are getting in the way of that, then its within the business’s profit incentive to get rid of him. I thought you conservatives were “pro-business” and pro-capitalism?tldr; you cant be a part time fascist anymore
He was “fired”, not fired.
Yes. Yes, it does.
DON’T HELP HIM!
Been loving the references to him on CBB this year.
Same! The occasional “Mr. Show reunion” mentions are fantastic.
Johnston has voiced Pesto Sr., in 43 episodes over the show’s 12-season-and-counting run.
I think Jimmy Jr. will overcome this by channeling his angst into his dancing but this could devastate Andy and Ollie.
Andy and Ollie are voiced by Sarah Silverman and her Sister. I think they will be fine with this outcome.
They’ll be fine, as long as they have each other. Well, as ‘fine’ as those two can be anyway.I wonder if they’ll recast the voice, or write him out and maybe bring in their mother, I don’t think it’s been established what had happened to her before, has it?
And crosseyed penis-owner Dan Mintz continues to voice a girl character. Aren’t we supposed to care about that?
I suspect the character of Jimmy Pesto would be of a similar political bent.
Yeah, I was trying to figure out which non-family Bob’s Burger characters were most likely to be involved in far right politics, and once I saw “Jimmy Pesto Sr.” I was like, “Oh yeah—that tracks.”I could also see Teddy getting sucked into the far right, albeit mostly by accident. Teddy seems like the character most likely to get sucked deep into QAnon and other Internet conspiracies. Followed by Mr. Frond, who just wanted to “save the children.”
Sgt Bosco is probably part of some pretty unsavoury internet groups.
Like private police facebook groups, or forums.
Nah, Frond is definitely a cry liberal. He is the guy that right winners make fun of when they make fun of leftists.
He’s just going Method!
“Hey Bob! I’m going to storm the Capitol to reclaim my country! What are you doing…. reclaiming some…. expired meat? Zoom!”
He would absolutely be a Trump supporter, but I’m glad Bob’s Burgers doesn’t have Trump. I don’t think the kind fabric of its reality could bear it.
“Because…if you look at the video…it does kind of look like…you were committing treason”
“WYCKED TRUMPER!”
“Gentlemen…I…am a seditionist…and this is what me and my seditionist friends do when we get together on the weekends…now I am going to take out this video of you masturbating on the confederate battle flag and replace it with a different video of people masturbating on the confederate battle flag…”
“It was about states’ rights!”
“A state’s right to what? A state’s right to…what, exactly?”
Mumble mumble own slaves mumble mumble.
Can’t wait for the episode where Mr. Fischoeder* loses the mayoral election and rallies an angry mob, with Jimmy Pesto being the only person to show up.*Would his brother Felix be a better choice? Calvin is competent at least some of the time.
Fischoeder would pay for a crowd to show up.
Even in the heightened world of the show I think Calvin is smart enough to realize that running for / being the mayor is more trouble than it’s worth and has too much potential for past problems becoming an issue for a business-person (as certain individuals in the real world are in the process of finding out). Felix, on the other hand…
Well this is incredibly disappointing. Make America Shit Again, I guess.
Can’t support his Jan 6th plans but this guy was the star of one of the funniest sketches ever made: The Story of EverestGoogle it or search for it on youtube. The very fact that Jay was part of this sketch tells me his soul isn’t hopeless. Good stuff. And lets remember to look for the good in people too.
Damn, and I always liked him back on Mr.Show.
Bob’s Burgers needs to embrace its destiny by finally having Huey Lewis voice Jimmy Pesto.
Played a cop on the Sarah Silverman Program. Played a cop on Arrested Development. Played a cop on Community. Played a sort-of cop on Parks and Rec. Played an FBI cop on Reno 911.Wow, ACAB indeed!
He knew what his career would be when he decided to go with the moustache
Ironically, Paul F. Tompkins also appeared as a cop on the Sarah Silverman program without his now-signature mustache and thankfully seems like a genuine, considerate person.
Newsflash just in Paul F. Tompkins has been charged in the murders of a bunch of kittens with disabilities.Wow, who’d a thunk it?
I understand you’re making a joke, but perhaps “ACAB” is not the appropriate sentiment when specifically discussing an incident in which multiple police officers lost their lives protecting our country.
What the fuck are you talking about? Multiple police officers lost their lives where?
Jimmy Pesto gets Covid and dies episode when?
Its crazy how this was widely known since March but is just now being reported on? Like what was the hold up?
What about the males that voice as female characters? Is that not sexual appropration? Like Hank voicing Apu on the simpsons (Cultural). Are there no female voice actors that are looking for a job that was stolen from them by males??