Alright! This weekend, beloved animated sitcom Bob’s Burgers celebrates another major milestone with its 250th episode.
For over 12 years and 13 seasons, actor/comedian/musician John Roberts has brought life to the voice of everyone’s favorite mom (well, besides their own), Linda Belcher, the musical matriarch of the slider-slinging family.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the voice was inspired by Roberts’ own mother, but Linda—just like the show itself—has taken on a life of her own, with fans across the globe, especially among the queer community, who are always thrilled to learn the icon is voiced by a gay man.
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But that’s not the only way Roberts uses his voice: Over the past four years, he’s been releasing dance floor-ready electro-pop bops, including the 2021 album Lights Out—with a follow-up record due out this spring.
In short, Roberts is one of our favorite people, so we couldn’t let this landmark Bob’s Burgers episode pass us by without having him guest in our rapid-fire Q&A series, Dishin’ It. In our fast and fun conversation, the performer reflects on the lessons learned from Linda over the years, the new wave and house music that inspires him, and the man-on-man french kiss that changed his life.
Congratulations on 250 episodes of Bob’s Burgers! What would you say is one of the biggest life lessons you’ve learned from playing Linda Belcher for all these years?
Life is short so make sure you are having fun. Always look at the cup as half full rather than half empty. We are here to love each other and nurture that love. Don’t worry about what other people think about you if you know you are a good person. That’s a few, ha. She’s taught me a lot but also very similar to what my own mother preached growing up.
This is probably an impossible question, but of those 250 episodes, do you have any personal favorites? Or a perhaps a favorite storyline of Linda’s?
“Eat, Spray, Linda” written by Jon Schroeder. It’s peak Linda and got me nominated for an Emmy.
Is there a piece of media/pop-culture—whether a movie, TV series, book, album, etc…—that you consider a big part of your coming-out journey? Why does it stand out to you?
In high school I did a scene from Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song Trilogy, which was a very serious play about AIDS in the early ’80s. That was an eye opener but showed me how fierce our community could be in the face of misery—how we care for each other.
And Truth Or Dare was pivotal because it was the first time I saw two hot guys french kiss.
Bob’s Burgers has always had such a strong fan base in the gay community. Beyond its inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters, what’s your take on why the show resonates so deeply with queer audiences?
I think the Belchers are a very inclusive and loving family. They really accept each other for who they are without trying to change one another. They also like to party.
Who is a fictional character you remember having a crush on at a younger age? What do you remember loving about them?
Michael Knight and his long hairy legs. And Jimmy Lee Holt from General Hospital. They where both beefcake models and you could see their posters at Spencers Gifts.
Beyond all the incredible songs you’ve sung as Linda, you also have an impressive music career of your own—your 2021 album Lights Out was full of electronic dance-pop bangers. Who/what are some of your biggest inspirations in the music space? What does the dance-pop genre mean to you as a gay man?
I’ve been working with great producers like Junior Sanchez, Big Black Delta, Tommie Sunshine, and Babydaddy and they all inspire me because they are so good at what they do. House music and new wave and so much of the pop music and indie stuff I grew up with still speak to me: From Depeche Mode to Deee-Lite to Prince, Janet Jackson and Madonna. Lisa Lisa and Freestyle music. Expose, Cover Girls. Blondie, obviously. So much ’80s R&B like S.O.S. Band, Patrice Rushen, Cherrelle… The early LGBTQ+ pioneers like Bowie, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Boy George, George Michael and K.D. Lang.
Now we have so many young queer artists and that is so liberating for young people just dealing with their sexuality. To see an artist loving themselves and celebrating life is important. Disco or house or any dance music has always been a part of our community because we like to dance! It’s how we come together. It’s an act of rebellion.
P.S. my new music coming out this spring is the best I’ve ever made 🤓
Do you find yourself using the Linda voice outside of work? Has it ever come in handy in your-day-to-day life—like, maybe on a date, for example?
Mostly save my Linda voice for cheering up sick people up or inspiring messages for people going thru a tough time. No never in the bedroom as that would be the Death Star of boner killers.
Who is a queer or trans artist/performer/creator that you think is doing really cool work right now? Why are they someone we should all be paying attention to?
Still mourning SOPHIE. I love Lil Nas X, Nomi Ruiz, TR/ST, Orville Peck, ARCA, Violet Chachki, John Early, Brian Kenny, Paul Soileau, and Zach Witness.
Scroll down for more pics from Roberts’ Instagram page…
Creamsicle
Bob’s Burgers is still really funny after all these years. John Robert’s in particular is hilarious and I love the old videos of him singing duets with Margaret Cho.
cc423
Good lord he is hot.
Peter
Not being familiar with the show or the subject of this article, when I read the headline I immediately thought of John Roberts, Chief Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court. Now I’ll have to check out the show on YouTube to see what his namesake has wrought.
ethan_hines
How is it the creator of the voice of Linda Belcher only has 30some thousand followers on Youtube common queers let’s get him to the 1M mark he’s super talented!
ridgelineranger
I was not aware of his music. Really like the song Dirty Little Secrets. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought it was Billy Idol singing. I need to check out more of his music.