How do I add items to an array in jQuery?

Since $.getJSON is async, I think your console.log(list.length); code is firing before your array has been populated. To correct this put your console.log statement inside your callback:

var list = new Array();
$.getJSON("json.js", function(data) {
    $.each(data, function(i, item) {
        console.log(item.text);
        list.push(item.text);
    });
    console.log(list.length);
});