King of the Hill’s fourteenth season was a massive success for Hulu, bringing back the Fox animated series after its original series finale arrived years ago. Quickly renewed for three more seasons in the future, the Hills’ comeback saw serious success, but still arrived with sad news in tow. Voice actor Jonathan Joss, who played the role of Native American character John Redcorn, tragically died before the latest season hit the streaming service. Joss had died as a result of being fired upon in public by suspect Sigredo Ceja Alvarez, who has recently been indicted.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Earlier this week, on Monday, November 17th, Ceja Alvarez, 57, was indicted by a Grand Jury in Texas for the killing of King of the Hill’s voice actor. The incident took place on June 1st earlier this year, with Alvarez stating that he was defending himself and plans on taking this defense in court. On June 24th, Alvarez’s lawyer said the following: “This was leading up, unfortunately, and, as you know, people in Texas have a right not to be a victim. You have a right to self-defense. You have a right to the defense of third persons legally and under the law, and we believe that applies here.”
Joss’ husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, stated that his partner was the victim of a hate crime, saying that the voice of John Redcorn was targeted due to his sexual orientation. In discussing his husband’s passing, Gonzales stated, “I didn’t want him to struggle and everything, so I decided to tell him I loved him. And despite the severity of everything, he was able to look up at me and acknowledge what I was saying, so I know he heard me. I just kept telling him: ‘It’s OK. You need to cross over. You don’t need to keep struggling. You need to go ahead and cross over easy.’” Gonzales stated that he and his husband were called slurs during the event that would take Joss’s life, “I’ve been called that word while I was sitting on a bench with Jonathan, eating lunch, and I got called that holding Jonathan while he died.”
King of the Hill’s Future
With three more seasons of King of the Hill on the way, John Redcorn’s future remains a mystery at this point. The fourteenth season had to make changes due to Johnny Hardwick’s passing, recasting Dale Gribble with voice actor Toby Huss. As of the writing of this article, creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels have yet to reveal if Redcorn will be recast or if the character simply won’t appear again.
As King of the Hill fans saw with the recent season finale, Redcorn is still very much a part of Arlen, Texas, even going into business with Hank and Peggy on his hilariously named “John Redcorn’s Redcorn.” Mike Judge did have words regarding the passing of Jonathan Joss earlier this year, stating that the voice actor will be sorely missed, “Jonathan 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 family and friends.”
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Hulu -
Image Courtesy of WIT Studio/Enishiya
