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Jay Johnston, the comedic character actor who popped up not only in Mr. Show and Bob’s Burgers but at the 2021 Capitol insurrection, was arrested Wednesday and charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack.
Per NBC News, Johnston was hit with a felony charge of obstructing a law enforcement officer and a couple of misdemeanors.
Though not super famous, Johnston was certainly one of the more recognizable participants in Jan. 6. While he was only just arrested, his identity and participation in the insurrection has been more or less well-known since March 2021, when the FBI shared a few still photos of him as they sought his identity.
Fans, and even some of Johnston’s former colleagues, immediately recognized him (a lawyer for Johnston also contacted the FBI at this time to confirm it was him). In Dec. 2021, The Daily Beast reported that Johnston had been dropped from Bob’s Burgers — where he had a recurring part as the voice of a rival restauranteur — due to his involvement in the insurrection.
A new affidavit from the FBI offers additional insight into what exactly Johnston got up to at the Capitol. Johnston was described as an “individual who pushed against police and aided other rioters near an entrance to the U.S. Capitol known as ‘the tunnel.’”
To start, authorities alleged that Johnston appeared in body cam footage that showed him “among a crowd of rioters who confronted law enforcement officers” at the Capitol’s West Plaza. Later he was spotted “on the steps leading up to the tunnel using a cellphone to take photos and/or video of rioters attacking police.”
A video from around 3 p.m., the FBI said, showed Johnston near the entrance to the tunnel, where he “turned back and signaled for other rioters to come forwards towards the entrance.” He could also be seen aiding “other rioters by pouring water” on their faces (ostensibly after they’d been hit with pepper spray).
When Johnston and the others entered the tunnel, the feds said Johnston pushed his way up to the police line and “assisted other rioters in handing up U.S. Capitol Police shields” that they’d pilfered. Johnston was later seen holding up a riot shield and joining others in a “shield wall,” taking part in what the FBI called “a group assault on the officers defending” one of the Capitol entrances.
As part of identifying Johnston, the FBI said it spoke to his lawyer and three associates who confirmed his identity. One associate reportedly shared a text message Johnston had sent, describing the scene in rather blasé terms: “The news has presented it as an attack. It actually wasn’t. Thought it kind of turned into that. It was a mess. Got maced and tear gassed and I found it quite untastic [sic].”
