Actor Jay Johnston, known for his voice acting on Bob's Burgers and for being in the cast of the revered sketch comedy program Mr. Show, was arrested by the Department of Justice Wednesday for his participation in the January 6 insurrection, according to Variety.
Johnston was arrested Wednesday in California, according to NBC News, which broke the news. He faces charges for felony obstruction of officers during civil disorder, in addition to other misdemeanor offenses.
In March 2021, the FBI tweeted a photo of Johnston in the crowd of rioters at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and requested information on his identity. In the court documents, the DOJ identified Johnston via multiple images of him captured on officer body-cam footage, bystander video and CCTV feeds. Johnston could be seen wearing a green camouflage neck gaiter and a dark leather jacket on Capitol grounds. With other rioters, he took a stolen Capitol Police riot shield to create a "shield wall" and push against a line [of] officers.
Forbes reports that Johnston has some connection to Gavin McInnes, the founder of The Proud Boys.
In 2015, Johnston appeared on The Gavin McInnes Show. A year later, McInnes, the show's host, founded the Proud Boys, a far-right organization that played a major role in the January 6 riot—though DOJ charging documents did not suggest Johnston was involved in any organized group like the Proud Boys.
When the photos in the below tweet circulated online in March 2021, there was speculation about whether it was Jay Johnston. At the time, comedian Tim Heidecker tweeted in reply: "Fully confirmed through reliable sources." and "It's jay." He later deleted the tweets, saying it shouldn't be used as an official source of verification.
Johnston has also appeared in Arrested Development, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Better Call Saul, Community, Parks and Recreation, Rick and Morty, Modern Family, The Sarah Silverman Program, and more.
What's surprising to me is that in order to get that many non-featured roles, he must have been well-liked by the people running the shows/movies. But they are all run by people I think are at least somewhat liberal, and Johnston is apparently not just conservative, but far-right.
Below is a video of Jay Johnston in a sketch from Mr. Show, and his probable reaction to the arrest, at 1:30.