- Thursday, June 05, 2025
Jonathan Joss, beloved voice of John Redcorn in King of the Hill, was fatally shot outside his former San Antonio home. His husband alleges the shooting was motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ hate, though police have not confirmed the motive.
By: Vibhuti Pathak
Jonathan Joss, the voice behind the iconic character John Redcorn in the animated hit King of the Hill, was shot and killed in San Antonio, Texas, on Sunday evening. The 59-year-old actor, whose full legal name was Jonathan Joss Gonzales, was found near the roadway on Dorsey Drive, where police responded to reports of a shooting just after 7 p.m.
Despite emergency responders’ efforts to revive him, Joss was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the San Antonio Police Department. The suspect, 56-year-old Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, was taken into custody and booked on murder charges shortly after.
Joss’s tragic death has sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry and LGBTQ+ community. While police said on Monday (2) that their investigation has not confirmed a hate crime, Joss’s husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, strongly believes homophobia played a role in the fatal shooting.
In a heartbreaking social media post, Kern de Gonzales recounted how the couple had returned to their former home—which was destroyed in a fire earlier this year—to check their mail. Outside, they discovered a grim scene: their deceased dog’s skull and harness had been deliberately placed at the front of the property. While they mourned, a man approached and allegedly began shouting homophobic slurs at the couple.
Kern de Gonzales said the man then opened fire, and Joss heroically pushed him out of the way—sacrificing his life to save his husband. “Jonathan and I had no weapons. We were not threatening anyone. We were grieving… When the man fired, Jonathan pushed me out of the way. He saved my life,” he wrote.
The police, while acknowledging online speculation about a possible hate crime, stated they had found no direct evidence so far linking the shooting to Joss’s sexual orientation, though the investigation remains active under the department’s homicide unit.
Joss rose to fame voicing John Redcorn from seasons 2 through 13 of King of the Hill. He also played Ken Hotate in Parks and Recreation, appeared in Tulsa King, and featured in the 2016 remake of The Magnificent Seven. His most recent credit was in the 2023 video game Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty.
His role in the upcoming King of the Hill revival series, set to air on Hulu in August, will be bittersweet. The credit sequence already revealed John Redcorn driving his signature tan Jeep, a nostalgic callback to Joss’s beloved performance.
Earlier this year, Joss and his husband had faced tragedy when a fire destroyed their San Antonio home, killing three of their dogs. A GoFundMe campaign raised over $10,000 for the couple. At the time, Joss told local media he was unemployed, making the support essential.
Joss’s untimely death has left fans, colleagues, and his loved ones mourning a talented artist and a brave man who stood by his identity and love until the very end.
