Adult Swim has severed all ties with Rick and Morty’s co-creator, Justin Roiland. That means Roiland will no longer collaborate with or voice the titular characters, as well as a slew of other minor characters from the animated series. This follows news that he had been charged with felony domestic abuse in Orange County.
The company’s senior vice president of communication, Marie Moore, disclosed the recent development in a statement saying: “Adult Swim has ended its association with Justin Roiland.” However, according to insiders, the show is set to continue production with co-creator Dan Harmon solely at the helm.
— Rick and Morty (@RickandMorty) January 24, 2023
While Roiland will retain his credit as co-creator, his voice roles will get recast. In 2018, Adult Swim released a massive 70-episode season of the hit TV show. So the show, which has completed six seasons, has four more to go in order to fulfill its ten-season obligation to the company.
Further, Roiland was charged with corporal injury and false imprisonment by menace, fraud, violence, or deceit by the Orange County District Attorney’s office. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. In addressing the public, his attorney, T. Edward Welbourn, released a statement earlier this month, stating that “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.”
The victim’s identity has not been revealed, but the incident allegedly occurred in January 2020, according to a May 2020 complaint, and in October 2020, Roiland pleaded not guilty to the charges.
What’s more, the semi-sealed matter became public knowledge as a result of a hearing on January 12, 2023. Roiland was present, and he is also required to attend a hearing on April 27. Though there is no set trial date, if convicted, Roiland could face up to seven years in prison.