Who did Jon Miyahara play on Superstore? Everything to know about the actor in the wake of his passing at 83

Jon Miyahara, who played Cloud 9 employee Brett Kobashigawa on the NBC sitcom Superstore, has passed away at 83. His daughter, Pennie Cappasola, confirmed the unfortunate news in a statement made to People magazine, adding he died on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, with his wife, Chiyo, by his side.

The official Instagram account for Superstore shared a tribute post a day later, writing:

"On screen, Brett was perpetually silent employee (over 113 episodes, I think ge only spoke a line, half of which we bleeped) whose deadpan expressions could make any moment funny."

Notably, Jon Miyahara appeared throughout the show's run from 2015 to 2021. Brett did not have any dialogue, but he became a fan favorite for his deadpan reactions to happenings on the series.

During the last episode of the second season, Miyahara stated, "Oh sh*t," in response to an oncoming tornado. This marked his only dialogue.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Universal Television (@universaltv)

In the IG post, the sitcom's showrunner, Justin Spitzer, continued:

"Off screen, Jon was warm and friendly; whenever we walked past each other, he would stop me just to say how happy he was to be there. I was honored to have him. We'll miss him."

Jon Miyahara made a guest appearance on Justin Spitzer's American Auto

According to his profile on IMDb, Jon Miyahara was born on August 8, 1941, in Los Angeles, California. He is believed to be of Japanese American heritage. While the actor's most significant role remains Brett Kobashigawa on Superstore, he made guest appearances on Holding Tight and Justin Spitzer's American Auto.

Following the tornado episode on Superstore, Miyahara's character was believed to be dead, with his colleagues even holding a memorial for him. However, it was revealed he escaped the storm by driving home.

Per IMDb, Jon Miyahara, alongside Nico Santos (Oliver T'sien in Crazy Rich Asians and Mateo Liwanag in Superstore) and Nichole Bloom (Cheyenne Thompson in Superstore), has been praised for Asian American representation.

In light of Miyahara's passing, his co-stars paid tribute to the late actor. Colton Dunn, who played Garrett, took to his Instagram to share a series of photos of the Miyahara with the message:

"Jon was a really awesome guy and as a performer could speak volumes with just a look. He was such a memorable part of the Cloud 9 team. It was an honor to know him and work with him."

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Colton Dunn (@captdope)

Kelly Stables, who played Kelly, took to the comments section to express her condolonces, adding that Jon was "always so sweet." Michael Bunin, who played Jeff, added:

"I’m so sad to hear this news. Many fun days and many fun conversations. Very nice guy."

Meanwhile, Irene White, who played Carol, noted that Jon Miyahara was an incredible man. Amir Korangy, who played Cloud 9 employee Sayid, commented that Jon was an "amazing soul" who was "smart and fun."

Superstore is available to stream on Peacock and Hulu.

An official cause of death has not been made public. There is no official word on a funeral or memorial service as of this writing.