Report: Comedian Jay Johnston Loses Bob’s Burgers Gig Due To Alleged January 6 Participation

As we near the one-year anniversary of the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., we’ve seen over 50 sentences handed down to rioters. This week, a man named Robert Palmer (no, not that one, and not that one either) received a 63-month sentence, the longest yet, for actions that include hurling a fire extinguisher at police officers and throwing a metal pole like a spear.

The actor and comedian Jay Johnston has also reportedly faced some quiet repercussions for his ignoble involvement on that disgraceful day. Though he has not been charged with a crime or arrested, The Daily Beast reported on Friday that Johnston, who voiced the popular character Jimmy Pesto on the series Bob’s Burgers, is no longer working on the show.

Johnston has never definitively confirmed that he was at the Capitol on January 6, but a number of colleagues, some in tweets since-deleted and others still live, claimed it was him in photos. 

The Pesto character, a foil to the series’s lead Bob Belcher (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) has appeared in 43 episodes over 12 seasons. The most recent one aired on May 12 of this year. The newest season, which began in September, has not featured the character.

While Bob’s Burgers’ network, Fox, declined to comment, The Daily Beast, wrote that two people familiar with the situation said that “top staff” at the show are not allowing Johnson to continue to work on it. The move was described as a “ban.” (Johnston “could not be reached for comment,” according to The Daily Beast.) 

Johnston first gained notoriety in the mid-1990s as a performer and writer on the sketch series Mr. Show (also known as Mr. Show with Bob and David.) He had recurring gigs on Arrested Development (as Officer Taylor), The Sarah Silverman Program (as Officer Jay McPherson), and High School USA! (as Officer Dumphy). He also appeared on Reno 911!, Parks and Recreation, Community, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and had a small role in Anchorman.

On March 4, the FBI sent the above images via social media as part of their efforts to seek “information on people who took part in the violence at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.” The reactions to the tweet are an unusual window into the intersection of celebrity and criminal justice, with many initially making jokes about how the man kinda’ looks like Johnston before expressing disbelief that it probably is him.

More Great Stories From Vanity Fair

— The Most Anticipated Movies of 2022— All the Sex and the City Reboot Easter Eggs You Might Have Missed— The Disarmingly Hopeful Post-Apocalyptic Tale of Station Eleven— A Search for the Real Judy Poovey Leads to Succession— Why the Opioid Crisis Was All Over TV in 2021— Film Twitter’s Obsession With Weird Movie Merch— The Second Coming of Octavia E. Butler— From the Archive: Angelina Jolie’s Life in Bold— Sign up for the “HWD Daily” newsletter for must-read industry and awards coverage—plus a special weekly edition of “Awards Insider.”