Former Bob’s Burgers actor Jay Johnston has been sentenced to a year and one day in prison for his connection with the January 6 attack on the US Capitol in 2021.
Johnston, 56, voiced pizzeria owner Jimmy Pesto in the beloved Fox animated comedy series. He is also known for his roles in Mr. Show with Bob and David, The Sarah Silverman Program, and Arrested Development.
In July, the actor pleaded guilty to a felony count of interfering with law enforcement during civil disorder.
Despite his guilty plea, The Hill reported that US District Judge Carl Nichols felt Johnston had failed to show remorse and described him as “less contrite than many” others involved in the riot. Prosecutors pointed out that Johnston had dressed up as the “QAnon Shaman” Jacob Chansley, a rioter sentenced to more than three years in prison, for Halloween in 2022.
Prosecutors also said that Johnston had flown from Los Angeles to Washington, DC the day before the riot, then marched to the Capitol after attending the “Stop the Steal” rally.
While at the Capitol, he used a stolen police riot shield to form a “shield wall” and took part in a “‘heave-ho’ push” that “pinned and crushed” a police officer against a door frame.
In his request for a shorter sentence, Johnston said he had “essentially been blacklisted by Hollywood” and was unable to “sustain his livelihood” since his part in the riot was revealed. His attorney confirmed he was fired from Bob’s Burgers after his presence at the Capitol was confirmed.
Johnston asked the judge for less than one year in prison, claiming that prosecutors had overstated his role in the riot because of his status as an “acclaimed Hollywood actor.”
Meanwhile, prosecutors requested an 18-month sentence, which they said would reflect “the gravity of Johnston’s conduct, including his spread of disinformation about January 6th and his lack of remorse for participating in the riot.”
Judge Nichols settled on a sentence of one year and one day, plus 40 hours of community service and an order to pay $2,000 in restitution to the Architect of the Capitol.
Johnston was arrested in 2023 after the FBI shared a pair of photographs of the actor on social media, asking the public to help identify him.
Cassandra Church, an actor who worked with Johnston on the show Harmontown, responded to the post, saying: “I’m no detective, but I do know Jay. He said he was there. And that’s him in the picture. So…”
