When “Bob’s Burgers” was first released in 2011, few would have guessed it would evolve into a beloved animated mainstay, let alone one of the longest-running comedies on TV. But for H. Jon Benjamin– the voice behind Bob Belcher– it was just the latest step in a decades-long collaboration with creator Loren Bouchard and a continuation of his unconventional path through comedy.
“I was living in Boston doing comedy,” Benjamin recalls while speaking with Variety‘s Artisans presented by HBO. “This comedian, Jonathan Katz, started doing the show ‘Dr. Katz,’ and I auditioned for that.” It was a voiceover role that ended up changing everything. The show birthed a creative network that would eventually lead to “Home Movies,” “Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil,” and, finally, “Bob’s Burgers.” Bouchard, then an editor on “Dr. Katz,” began developing his own shows and continued calling on Benjamin to voice his characters. “I just kept working with him,” Benjamin says. “So, he gave me the part [of Bob], I said yes, and it hasn’t stopped in 30 years.”
Benjamin admits he didn’t always sound like Bob. “I didn’t sound like this at all 15 years ago,” he says with a laugh. “Now I talk like Bob.” It’s fitting—after so long, the line between performer and character has blurred. “I’ve become him.”
When asked about the legacy of “Bob’s Burgers,” Benjamin admits his surprise at the show making it past the first season. “Whenever you start doing a television show, you feel like it’s gonna get canceled after a season,” he explains. “You do one, and you’re happy to get two, then three—then, oh my God, four—then holy shit, five. And then, no way, six. And then—fuck—seven!”
Appearances at Comic-Con and unexpected compliments—even from his mom—proved the show was resonating. “You don’t know whether people are gonna respond to it,” Benjamin says, “But people started loving the show.”
A big part of the show’s charm lies in how it’s made, thanks in part to its ensemble recording style. “The cast is spread out, some in Boston, some in L.A., I’m in New York with John Roberts [who plays Linda],” Benjamin says. “But we do read-throughs together, and Lauren encourages us to fool around.” The final episodes often include around 10–15% improvisation. “It helps ground the scene,” he adds.
That lived-in, overlapping dialogue is one of the show’s trademarks, and it all comes from a process designed to mimic real-life family conversations. “You’re recording with the actors at the same time,” Benjamin says. “It gives it a more authentic feel.”
Benjamin’s voice has been central to other iconic roles too—most notably as Sterling Archer in the show “Archer.” But balancing both series proved tough at times. “I’d have a 10 a.m. ‘Archer’ session, then go to ‘Bob’s,’ and I’d have no voice left. That was the day I realized I can’t do both shows in the same day.”
Still, Bob Belcher remains his most enduring character and perhaps his most revealing. “Bob is definitely maybe not a chef—he’s a cook,” Benjamin muses. “I think he wants to be a chef but never got there.” As for Benjamin’s own cooking? “I don’t make burgers. They’re better made elsewhere.”
When asked about Bob as a parent, Benjamin is quick to praise his fictional counterpart. “Bob is a really good parent—very supportive, very present, pretty patient. He’s a good dad for what he has to go through.” Then, with typical dry delivery, he adds: “I’m a terrible dad. I’m like the exact opposite. Thankfully, ‘Bob’s Burgers’ totally helped my parenting. I was the meanest dad. And then I slowly started getting more like Bob—but it was too late.”
As “Bob’s Burgers” moves into its next chapter with new episodes, the voice behind the grill shows no signs of cooling down.
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