We Mourn KING OF THE HILL Actor Jonathan Joss' Death & Share His Husband's Heartbreaking Words
King of the Hill did not resemble the other shows I watched when I was growing up. I snuck it by my mom and always felt mildly like I was doing something I shouldn't be doing when I flipped it onto my TV. And still, something about it drew me in. And, judging by the excitement of our readers about the upcoming King of the Hill revival, many fellow nerds feel this way as well. And so, with a sad heart, I learned that Jonathan Joss, the voice of John Redcorn on King of the Hill and its revival, had been killed in a fatal shooting. But alas, as more details of Jonathan Joss' death came out, the circumstances only became more heartbreaking and more harrowing.
After news of his death broke, Jonathan Joss' husband Tristan Kern de Gonzales shared a vulnerable and aching statement, recounting that Joss' shooting, and here we must say, allegedly, was a hate crime.
Below, we share Tristan Kern de Gonzales' statement in full, but wanted to add a note of caution for our readers that these words paint very painful images, and those who feel sensitive toward such things, should take proceed carefully.
Statement from Tristan Kern de Gonzales
Husband of Jonathan Joss
My husband Jonathan Joss and I were involved in a shooting while checking the mail at the site of our former home. That home was burned down after over two years of threats from people in the area who repeatedly told us they would set it on fire. We reported these threats to law enforcement multiple times and nothing was done.
Throughout that time we were harassed regularly by individuals who made it clear they did not accept our relationship. Much of the harassment was openly homophobic.
When we returned to the site to check our mail we discovered the skull of one of our dogs and its harness placed in clear view. This caused both of us severe emotional distress. We began yelling and crying in response to the pain of what we saw.
While we were doing this a man approached us. He started yelling violent homophobic slurs at us. He then raised a gun from his lap and fired.
Jonathan and I had no weapons. We were not threatening anyone. We were grieving. We were standing side by side. When the man fired Jonathan pushed me out of the way. He saved my life.
Jonathan is my husband. He gave me more love in our time together than most people ever get. We were newlyweds. We picked Valentines Day. We were in the process of looking for a trailer and planning our future.
He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other.
I was with him when he passed. I told him how much he was loved.
To everyone who supported him, his fans, his friends, know that he valued you deeply. He saw you as family.
My focus now is on protecting Jonathan's legacy and honoring the life we built together.
If your concern is how someone coped with trauma or how loudly they speak when recounting injustice and being ignored by authorities then you never truly cared about my husband.
Jonathan saved my life. I will carry that forward. I will protect what he built.
Tristan Kern de Gonzales
It's hard to describe the unbelievable sadness that these words evoke. The incredibly cruel act described above is hard to reckon with. And we admire Tristan Kern de Gonzales for his openness in discussing Jonathan Joss' death and the circumstances surrounding it. There is simply no sense in what happened to this loving couple, seemingly just for openly celebrating their love and being proud of their identities.
But Kern de Gonzales asked primarily for one thing in the wake of this alleged hate crime: for us to remember Jonathan's legacy and honor his life, to protect what he built. On King of the Hill, Jonathan Joss gave life to a sadly rare Native American character, honoring his own legacy as a man of Comanche and Apache descent. He appeared in TV movies and shows including Walker, Texas Ranger, Friday Night Lights, The League, Ray Donovan, In Plain Sight, and Parks & Recreation.
We will also get to hear his voice one more time when the King of the Hill revival graces our screens. Mike Judge, Greg Daniels, and Saladin Patterson said in a statement, 'Jonathan Joss brought King of the Hill's 'John Redcorn' to life for over a dozen seasons, including in the upcoming revival. 'His voice will be missed at King of the Hill, and we extend our deepest condolences to Jonathan's friends and family.'
In the end, it is critical that we hold both the truth of the circumstances surrounding Jonathan Joss' death and the beautiful legacy of his life in our thoughts. Rest in peace, Jonathan Joss.
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According to Bexar County court records, the suspected killer has been placed on house arrest and must wear an ankle monitor. He was ordered not to own any firearms during his home detention, in addition to facing random drug and alcohol testing. Ceja, per TMZ, confessed to the crime right after the attack, according to a police report. Authorities and eyewitnesses also noted the shooting did not stem from a hate crime. However, Joss' husband has insisted that the late actor died from a homophobic attack. Like his partner, Joss claimed he was being targeted by homophobic neighbors and shared his concern with the "King of the Hill" creators during their ATX TV panel. The video capturing this moment made rounds on X, revealing the late entertainer was escorted out of the event. Joss had been sitting in the audience when he stood up to claim his house was maliciously burned down because he was "gay." He lost his South Side home to a raging fire in January and blamed the incident on his homophobic neighbors. Unfortunately, the animated show's creators were not interested in hearing him out. The incident reportedly occurred two days before Joss was fatally shot, and it sparked renewed interest in what transpired between him and the shooter. X users butted heads with their speculations and theories, with some accepting authorities' version of the shooting while others believed Joss. Fans on Joss' side vehemently defended his husband's hate crime allegations, with one X user imploring others not to be deceived by the opposing parties. "The murder was 100% based on his sexuality," the individual declared. Another echoed similar sentiments, implying that those denying the homophobic killing wouldn't be as loud if a straight man had died. A third was still on the fence about what happened, wondering if Joss was lying or telling the truth. A fourth pushed for justice for the late actor, while critics argued that while his death was tragic, it was not linked to homophobia. Someone shared pictures of Joss' husband's emotional statements about his death and a former neighbor's claim. The neighbor claimed Joss was problematic during his lifetime, frequently starting gunfights and allegedly burning his house down while trying to run a meth lab. The critic captioned the post with a theory that Joss' husband pulled at the public's heartstrings "for a GoFundMe payday by those who don't know any better." According to Gonzales, Joss's husband, they were not welcomed in their neighborhood because they were in a same-sex relationship. He claimed these homophobic neighbors verbally attacked them with anti-gay slurs or complained about them being too loud. Police records showed they responded to incidents at the couple's home over four dozen times, with most calls labeled as "disturbances." One of their former neighbors shed more light on these incidents, telling NBC News that Joss was impossible to live with. "He's been a nightmare," the source lamented. Another source revealed the police department's "SAFFE" unit, which focused on crime prevention, had been involved in Joss' issues with his suspected killer. The spokesperson for authorities claimed the unit was mediating a dispute between Ceja and Joss for over a year following a crossbow incident. In June 2024, Ceja called authorities after Joss allegedly approached his house with a crossbow while firing racial slurs at him. However, the late actor claimed he only visited his former neighbor's home to "talk about their dogs fighting with each other." Cops did retrieve the crossbow from his home, an incident that comes to mind following a video of Joss's final moments. 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