Kathryn Mannie
Adult Swim has announced that it has cut ties with rick and morty co-creator Justin Roiland after reports revealed he faced trial for 2020 domestic violence charges.
“Adult Swim has terminated its association with Justin Roiland”, adult swimming Senior Vice President of Communications Marie Moore wrote in a statement Tuesday.
rick and morty is one of Adult Swim’s most popular titles, and Roiland voices the two titular characters, leaving the future of the series uncertain. Adult swim lit green rick and morty for a massive 10-season commitment in 2018 and the show just wrapped up its sixth season in December 2022.
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Two weeks ago, news broke that Roiland, 42, had been charged with one count of domestic battery with bodily harm and one count of false imprisonment by threat, violence, fraud or deception in Orange County, California. The complainant is an unnamed woman who was Roiland’s girlfriend and was living with him at the time.
Roiland was charged in May 2020, months after police announced the incident had occurred. He pleaded not guilty.
The charges did not receive media coverage at the time. Then, on January 12, Roiland’s case went to a preliminary hearing, bringing the allegations back into the public eye.
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In a statement earlier this month, Roiland’s attorney, T. Edward Welbourn, said: “Not only is Justin innocent, but we also expect this case to be about to be thrown out sometime. once the district attorney’s office completes its methodical review of the evidence.”
Roiland is then expected to appear in court on April 27.
According to a post from the animated sitcom’s Twitter page, rick and morty will continue without Roiland. Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Roiland’s roles will be recast and that co-creator Dan Harmon will become sole showrunner. Roiland will remain credited as a co-creator, the sources added.
Roiland also left the video game company he co-founded, Squanch Games.
The company wrote on its Twitter page on Tuesday, “On January 16, 2023, Squanch Games received the resignation of Justin Roiland.”
On Wednesday, Hulu and 20th Television Animation announced that they have also ended their association with Roiland, in a statement made to The variety. Roiland co-created two animated series for Hulu, solar opposites and koala manwhich will continue without his involvement.
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