“Before his June 1 death, Jonathan Joss got to reprise his role as musician and healer John Redcorn in the long-awaited Hulu/Disney+ revival of the adult animated sitcom”, — write: www.dailymail.co.uk
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By CASSIE CARPENTER, US SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER
Published: 14:26 BST, 5 August 2025 | Updated: 15:43 BST, 5 August 2025
Episode 10 titled ‘The Sound Investment’ concluded with a title card of the Texan native – who was gunned down at age 59 on June 1 – which read: ‘In Loving Memory… Jonathan Joss.’
Jonathan voiced musician and healer John Redcorn on the formerly Fox show from seasons 2-13 spanning 1997-2010.
And, in the long-awaited revival, Hank & Peggy Hill (Mike Judge and Kathy Najimy) invested in his new business venture, John Redcorn’s Red Corns.
‘It was the episode that featured him the most,’ showrunner Saladin K. Patterson explained to THR on Monday.
‘It also felt fitting because his tragic passing was so recent and the finale was the last episode produced. If there are future seasons, we will choose a way to address the Dale/Nancy/Redcorn love triangle that highlights the compassion that Jonathan always brought to the character.’
Fans were mostly unhappy with the King of the Hill executive producers’ previous tribute to Joss on June 3, which they claim sounded like a ‘statement you make when someone dies of a heart attack not a homophobic murder.’
The charismatic actor of Native descent had crashed the ATX TV Festival reunion on May 30 and briefly rambled during the Q&A – stunning co-creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels as well as actors Pamela Adlon, Lauren Tom, and Toby Huss into silence.
At the end of episode seven, the producers shared a tribute to Johnny Hardwick who was able to reprise his voiceover role as Dale Gribble for six episodes of the revival before his mysterious passing, at age 64, in a bathtub two years ago.
‘Dale’s character was too important a character to what we were currently doing to let the character go away,’ Patterson admitted to THR.
‘What felt the most respectful and also creatively strong was taking Toby [Huss], who was a friend of Johnny’s, who was like a brother to Johnny in certain ways, and having him [take over the character] in a way that would pay homage to Johnny.’
The King of the Hill revival – set 15 years later – currently has a ‘certified fresh’ 100% critic approval rating (out of 29 reviews) and a 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Meanwhile, a San Antonio judge has still not sentenced Jonathan’s neighbor Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez for his murder, which many believe was a homophobic hate crime, and he’s currently on house arrest after paying $200K bail.
The 56-year-old suspect is claiming self-defense and his attorney Nico LaHood told KSAT on June 24 that his client is ‘innocent’ and ‘has the support of their neighbors.’
Despite raising over $22K on GoFundMe, Joss’ widow Tristan Kern de Gonzales has still not announced any celebration of life memorial for him, which he promised fans back on June 10.