Joseph Gribble

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The two incarnations of Joseph Gribble

Joseph John Gribble is a character on the animated television series King of the Hill. He was raised by Dale Gribble and his wife Nancy. Originally, Nancy falsely attributed Joseph's traits to him having a Jamaican grandmother. Dale, a paranoid conspiracy theorist, believes that aliens impregnated Nancy using his own seed while he was searching for UFOs at Marfa, Texas; he is completely unaware of his son's resemblance to John Redcorn, Nancy's personal migraine manager. In actuality, John Redcorn had been having an affair with Nancy, and Joseph is the product of that relationship--- facts that Dale, though paranoid, has never had a clue about it, though most others around him could tell very easily. Joseph is a student at Tom Landry Middle School and is Bobby's best friend. Joseph is also very attracted to Bobby's cousin, Luanne.

John Redcorn has tried to subtly instruct Joseph in his Native American culture, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. All things considered, Joseph is more like Dale's son than John Redcorn's---the two are very close and share a penchant for conspiracy theories. Indeed, Peggy once seriously considered revealing John Redcorn and Nancy's relationship to Dale, but balked in the end when she considered the effect it would have on Dale's relationship to Joseph.

He may have been conceived in the Arlen Caves, featured in the episode "The Son That Got Away." The Arlen Caves, a popular make-out spot for teenagers, is described by Peggy as the place where roughly half of Arlen's unwanted pregnancies occur. After hearing this, Nancy and John Redcorn exchange uncomfortable glances, which may be meant to imply this is where they had sex before Joseph was born.

Brittany Murphy voiced the character in seasons 1 – 4. In season 5, the character experienced a growth spurt and the first stages of adolescence, necessitating a change in voice actors. Breckin Meyer currently provides the voice for him.