'Bob's Burgers' actor sentenced to one year in prison for role on January 6th

Jay Johnston, an actor with recurring roles on “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 attack on the Capitol, NBC News reports.

Johnston was arrested in June 2023 and pleaded guilty a month later to felony obstructing officers during a disturbance. The actor, whose credits also include “Anchorman” and “Men in Black II,” was identified as a participant in the riot before his arrest, which led to him being fired from “Bob's Burgers” in December 2021. (Johnston voiced Jimmy Pesto in 42 episodes of the animated comedy over 11 seasons.)

According to court documents obtained by diversityJohnston flew from Los Angeles to Washington, DC on January 5, 2021 to attend the Stop the Steal Rally. He stood near the police line and watched and filmed rioters attacking the police. He also used a stolen US Capitol Police riot shield to create a “protective wall” against police and participated in an assault in which a police officer was pushed against a door frame and crushed.

In the days after Jan. 6, Johnston sent messages to family and friends claiming that the events at the Capitol had been exaggerated by the media and that it was a “plot” by police and Antifa, one said Judgment note. Nearly two years after the attack, Johnston “downplayed his involvement in the insurrection by dressing up as Jacob Chansley, known as the 'QAnon Shaman,' at a Halloween party he attended.”

The government sought an 18-month prison sentence for Johnston, citing his “spreading disinformation about January 6” and his “lack of remorse for participating in the insurrection.”

Johnston's attorney, Stanley Woodward, wrote in a sentencing memo that the government had “persistently overstated” Johnston's role in the insurrection “because he is an acclaimed Hollywood actor.” He added that Johnston “couldn't make a living as an actor” and was “essentially blacklisted by Hollywood” because of his involvement in the attack on the capital.