'Bob's Burgers' Star Jay Johnston Charged in U.S. Capitol Attack

Jay Johnston, a longtime actor and comedy writer, was arrested by the FBI on Wednesday and charged in connection with the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Johnston, 54, faces felony charges for obstructing officers responding to civil disorder, as well as several other misdemeanors, including unlawful trespassing and attempting to disrupt government business, according to a federal warrant filed Monday.

Johnston voiced the character “Jimmy Pesto Sr.” in Bob’s Burgers and played “Officer Taylor” in Arrested Development. The Chicago native also made cameos in television series like Better Call Saul, Modern Family, Parks & Recreation, and more. Johnston was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards in 1998 and 1999 as a writer for Mr. Show with Bob and David.

The Daily Beast reported in late 2021 that the top staff behind Bob’s Burgers had “banned” Johnston from reappearing on the show in response to his alleged role in the U.S. Capitol attack.

More than 1,000 people have been arrested and charged with federal crimes for their alleged roles in the attack, according to The Associated Press. More than 500 people have been sentenced. The AP reports many of the people found guilty have received sentences ranging from an imprisonment ranging from one week to 18 years.

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In the federal warrant, an FBI special agent investigating the attack says evidence shows Johnston booked a round-trip flight from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. the week of the riot. The actor arrived in the nation’s capitol on January 4 and left on Jan. 7, a day after the violence, during which five people died.

Using security footage from the attack, federal investigators allegedly tracked Johnston’s activity throughout the melee.

Johnston is allegedly seen in footage entering the U.S. Capitol building’s west tunnel “assist[ing] at least three other rioters by pouring water on the rioters' faces." He then “made his way further toward the police line and assisted other rioters in handing up U.S. Capitol Police shields,” the federal warrant alleges.

“Johnston then participated with other rioters in a group assault on the officers defending” the U.S. Capitol, according to the FBI agent. The warrant includes still images of Johnston holding the shield. Video shows Johnston “pushing along with other rioters” who attempted to break through the police line protecting the entrance to the building, the warrant alleges.

The FBI originally tweeted images of Johnston in March 2021 asking the public for help identifying him and other alleged rioters. Four days later, Johnston’s attorney reached out to the FBI and identified him as the man in the photos. The FBI also interviewed three others who knew Johnston, who all identified him as well.

One associate shared text messages Johnston sent them, allegedly confirming he took part in the riots. “The news has presented it as an attack. It actually wasn’t,” the actor claimed in the text. “Thought it kind of turned into that. It was a mess. Got maced and tear gassed and I found it quite untastic.”