Michael John Roberts Dies: ‘TripTank’, ‘BoJack Horseman’ Animator, Director & Producer Was 48

Michael John Roberts, an animator and director of such series as Comedy Central’s TripTank and Netflix’s BoJack Horseman, died of glioblastoma Wednesday, November 11, in Los Angeles. He was 48.

His death was announced by his family, including his wife, the One Life to Live and Gossip Girl actor Bree Williamson. The announcement states that Roberts died peacefully at home surrounded by his family.

“With heavy hearts, we share the passing of Michael John Roberts,” the announcement reads. “Michael saw the world a little differently. A gifted artist with an extraordinary talent, he could find something worth exploring in what others might overlook. His creativity was not limited to what he put on paper; it shaped the way he thought, questioned, and understood the world around him.”

Born December 20, 1977, in Toronto, where he was raised, Roberts got his start as an animator in the late 1990s and early 2000s on such children’s series as the animated Angela Anaconda and the animation-live action hybrid The Hoobs, both produced by Canada’s Decode Entertainment (The Hoobs was co-created and co-produced by The Jim Henson Company).

Although starting in children’s television, Roberts would become best known for his work on animated comedy geared to adults. He co-created and directed Comedy Central’s 2014-2016 sketch comedy series TripTank, which featured voice work from Bob Odenkirk, Larry David, Niecy Nash, Zach Galifianakis and others, and he animated the 2015 opening sequence of BoJack Horseman (he would direct two episodes of the Netflix series).

He subsequently directed episodes of, among others, the Bill Burr series F Is For Family, the TBS series Final Space, MrBeast Lab, the 2023 Apple TV series Strange Planet and, most recently, a 2026 episode of Masters of the Universe: Tales From Eternia. As a producer, his credits included the 2018 John Cena-Kat Dennings YouTube Red series Dallas & Robo, the 2024 series Hot Wheels Let’s Race and a 2026 TV special from the Hot Wheels franchise.

In addition to his wife, who played the popular character Jessica Buchanan on One Life to Live from 2002 to 2012, Roberts is survived by son McGreggor; sister Jane Roberts; niece Gwen; nephew Vaughan; and cousin Hrothgar Cashmore, whom he saw as a brother.

“We were supposed to have more time,” his family wrote. “More conversations over a good cup of coffee. More spirited debates about matters both profound and wonderfully insignificant. More laughter, more stories, more music and more ordinary moments that would someday become extraordinary memories.

“Although his illness came suddenly and the time that followed was heartbreakingly short, it cannot define the man he was. His life is better remembered through what he created, the conversations he inspired, the friendships he nurtured, and the love he gave so freely to those closest to him.”