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Adult Swim cuts ties with 'Rick and Morty' creator Justin Roiland following domestic abuse charges
Roiland, who voices both of the titular characters, will be recast.
Adult Swim has officially ended its professional relationship with Justin Roiland following domestic abuse charges brought against the Rick and Morty co-creator in Orange County, California. In a brief statement posted to the show's Twitter account (see below), the network assured fans that "Rick and Morty will continue. The talented and dedicated crew are hard at work on Season 7."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Roiland (who voices Rick, Morty, and a host of other side characters) will be recast, with co-creator Dan Harmon remaining on board as the sole showrunner. In addition THR points out that Adult Swim is not even halfway through the massive 70-episode order it placed in May 2018. As of right now, the hit animated series is locked in through Season 10.
Roiland has also resigned as CEO from Squanch Games (named for Squanchy, the fan favorite Rick and Morty character voiced by Tom Kenny), which he co-founded with Tanya Watson in 2016. "The passionate team at Squanch will keep developing games we know our fans will love while continuing to support and improve High on Life," the company said in a statement of its own.
Hulu and 20th Television Animation also announced their decision to sever ties with the actor/producer, who will no longer be involved with the productions of Solar Opposites (Roiland co-created the show with Mike McMahan and voiced one of its main characters) or Koala Man (Roiland served as an executive producer on the Australian comedy and and guest starred in one of its debut episodes).
Earlier this month, NBC News reported that Roiland had been charged with felony domestic abuse charges following an incident involving a woman he had been dating in 2020. He was arrested and released on a $50,000 bail in August of the same year.
A protective filed two months later forbade the producer/actor from going within 100 feet of the anonymous party and ordered him to relinquish any firearms in his possession to authorities.
“It is hard to overstate how inaccurate the recent media coverage of this situation has been," Roiland's attorney T. Edward Welbourn told Variety. "To be clear, not only is Justin innocent but we also have every expectation that this matter is on course to be dismissed once the District Attorney’s office has completed its methodical review of the evidence. We look forward to clearing Justin’s name and helping him move forward as swiftly as possible.”
Roiland is expected to return to court on April 27. A plea deal is reportedly on the table, but no details are available at this time. Similarly, a number of key case elements (police body cam footage, investigation reports, and affidavits) remain sealed.
The first five seasons of Rick and Morty are currently streaming on HBO Max.
