‘Bob’s Burgers’ Actor Sentenced to One Year in Prison for Role in Jan. 6 Insurrection

Jay Johnston, an actor with recurring roles in “Bob’s Burgers,” “Mr. Show” and “Arrested Development,” was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison for his role in the Jan. 6 capitol attack, NBC News reports.

Johnston was arrested in June 2023 and pleaded guilty one month later to a felony offense of obstructing officers during a civil disorder. The actor, whose credits also include “Anchorman” and “Men in Black II,” was identified as a participant in the insurrection before he was arrested, resulting in him being fired from “Bob’s Burgers” in December 2021. (Johnston voiced Jimmy Pesto in 42 episodes of the animated comedy, across 11 seasons.)

According to court documents obtained by Variety, Johnston flew from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, 2021, to attend the Stop the Steal Rally. He stood near the police line while watching and filming rioters attack police. He also used a stolen U.S. Capitol Police riot shield to make a “shield wall” against the police and participated in a push that pinned and crushed a police officer against a door frame.

In the days following Jan. 6, Johnston sent messages to family and friends claiming the events at the Capitol were exaggerated by the media and that it was a “setup” by the police and Antifa, according to a sentencing memo. Almost two years after the attack, Johnston “made light of his participation in the riot by dressing up as Jacob Chansley, known as the ‘QAnon Shaman,’ at a Halloween party that he attended.”

The government sought an 18-month sentence for Johnston, noting his “spread of disinformation about Jan. 6” and his “lack of remorse for participating in the riot.”

Johnston’s lawyer, Stanley Woodward, wrote in a sentencing memo that the government has “persistently overstated” Johnston’s role in the insurrection “because he is an acclaimed Hollywood actor.” He added that Johnston “has not been able to sustain his livelihood as an actor” and “has essentially been blacklisted by Hollywood” due to his involvement in the attack on the capitol.