Before I get into this story with an awful ending, I have to say that "King of the Hill" is one of my all-time favorite TV shows. It's one of those series I put on for background noise while I'm working or cleaning some days. Its creator, Mike Judge, is one of the few right-of-center people in Hollywood who managed to create some high-quality entertainment that isn't just thinly veiled lectures driven by liberal talking points and progressive messaging. If you've never watched it, I highly recommend it. But my love for "King of the Hill" is why this caught my attention, and assuming many of you watch(ed) it, too, I thought this might be of interest to you.
The show, which originally aired between 1997 and 2009, is in the midst of a revival. I never have high hopes for these things, especially in the age of woke, but I will watch when the new episodes debut on Hulu later this year. Unfortunately, one of the show's stars will not be around to finish recording "King of the Hill" 2.0.
Actor Jonathan Joss, who voiced John Redcorn for seasons two through thirteen of the original run of show, was allegedly shot and killed by his neighbor on Sunday. Police were called to a shooting in progress and arrived to find Joss lying outside his San Antonio, Texas, home near the road. Paramedics attempted to save him, but it was too little, too late. The actor was dead.
Police report that the suspect, Joss's neighbor, Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, fled the scene after the shooting, but he is now in police custody and charged with murder. While the exact motive for the shooting isn't clear, witnesses say that the two men have been involved in both verbal and physical altercations over the years.
Earlier this year, the power to Joss's home was shut off because, neighbors say, it was "deemed unsafe and uninhabitable." He brought a barbecue pit inside to try to heat it afterward, but the house caught on fire. Joss lost most of his belongings, along with three of his dogs. Neighbors say that on Sunday, he returned to the home that his own father had built in 1957 and saw the skeletons of one of the dogs he'd lost in the fire, and that seemed to upset him. He reportedly began yelling at anyone within sight. Shortly after, he was dead.
It also sounds like Joss may have had some personal demons. Neighbors say police had been at his home several times before the fire, and a comment on one of Joss's recent Instagram posts also alludes to that.
Either way, it's still a tragic situation, and one I think "King of the Hill" fans would want to know about. While Joss fully embraced John Redcorn—the Native American ladies' man who was having an affair with Hank Hill's neighbor, Nancy Hicks-Gribble—he had quite a resume filled with other TV, film, and video game voiceover roles. Many of you may also know him as Chief Ken Hotate from "Parks and Recreation." As I said, he was also working on the "King of the Hill" reboot and had recently traveled to the ATX TV Festival with some of his co-stars from the show. He'd even posted some videos from Austin on Instagram in recent days.
I'd also like to point out that Joss was not John Redcorn's original voice. In season one, actor Victor Aaron played the role, but he was tragically killed in a car accident in 1996. It almost feels like the role is cursed.
Rest in peace, Jonathan Joss.
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