Actor Jay Johnston — whose credits include Better Call Saul, Arrested Development, Anchorman, and voice roles in hit shows like Rick and Morty — will no longer be voicing Jimmy Pesto Sr. in Bob's Burgers after allegedly taking part in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
According to reporting from the Daily Beast, two top staff members of the beloved animated Fox series said the 53-year-old is "banned" from his recurring voice role.
Johnston has voiced the fan-favorite character — the owner of Jimmy Pesto's Pizzeria and a constant antagonistic presence to Bob — for a total of 43 episodes from 2011 to 2021.
While the actor was never confirmed as taking part in the riot, his name started floating around on the internet as suspected participant number 247 following a March 2021 FBI call to identify the individual.
The #FBI is still seeking information on people who took part in the violence at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. If you know this individual, visit https://t.co/iL7sD5efWD. Refer to photo 247 in your tip.
Cassandra Church, an actor who previously worked alongside Johnston, tweeted at the time, "I’m no detective, but I do know Jay. He said he was there. And that’s him in the picture. So…"
@TheRyanEbert @Thesixler @GrwnAssKid2 @FBI I’m no detective, but I do know Jay. He said he was there. And that’s him in the picture. So...
In a since-deleted tweet, a former colleague of Church and Johnston's also wrote that the latter is a "craven Trump supporter and was there at the time." Actor-comedian Tim Heidecker — who guest-starred in Bob's Burgers as baseball announcer Burt Dellalucci — also tweeted that Johnston's involvement in the riot was "fully confirmed through reliable sources," though he later deleted it and said it "shouldn’t be used as some kind of official source of information or verification.”
And back in May, comedian Kathy Griffin tweeted, "That's Jay Johnston," adding, "He's 'on the lamb' now. I can't believe I'm writing these words."
I know him. We all do. Folks from LA comedy scene, that is. That's Jay Johnston. He's a well known comedic actor. I haven't seen him in many years, but knew him back in the day. Since the late 90s. Mutuals say he's "on the lamb" now. I can't believe I'm writing these words. https://t.co/aKehHpVmta
Back in 2015, Johnston also appeared as himself on The Gavin McInnes Show, hosted by the titular founder of the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist hate group that was heavily involved in the riot.
The name "Jimmy Pesto" trended on Twitter earlier today as Bob's Burgers fans reacted to the news, with some joking about how the actor and character share similar staunchly conservative views.
Tbf this is VERY on brand for Jimmy Pesto https://t.co/meNmASmtc3
The hilarious thing about this is that Jimmy Pesto would be there too https://t.co/wf0IU3yTxg
Jimmy Pesto’s voice actor took method acting too far.