King of the Hill actor Jonathan Joss killed in alleged homophobic shooting
Joss died after a fatal shooting at the site of their old home which had burned down after his husband says was "two years of threats"
By Gary Grimes
Jonathan Joss, the voice actor behind John Redcorn in animated series King of the Hill, has been shot dead in what his husband alleges was a homophobic attack.
Joss, who also appeared in shows like Parks and Recreation and ER, was killed on 1 June according to a statement posted to his Facebook page by his husband Tristan Kern de Gonzales. He was 59 years old at the time of his death.
“My husband Jonathan Joss and I were involved in a shooting while checking the mail at the site of our former home,” Gonzales wrote. “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.
‘King Of The Hill’ voice actor Jonathan Joss was murdered as the result of a homophobic hate crime, his husband says in new statement. pic.twitter.com/WhF8ctiu0J
— Pop Base (@PopBase) June 2, 2025
“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,” he wrote.
Gonzales goes on to write that upon returning to their old home, the couple discovered the skull of their dog and its harness were left for them to see, causing them both “severe emotional distress”, leading them to yell and cry in response.
“While we were doing this a man approached us,” he explained. “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.”
In spite of Gonzales’ claims, police in Texas say they are not certain the incident was the result of a hate crime, telling the BBC: “Despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that the Mr Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation.”
“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,” Gonzales concluded.
“He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other.”