'Rick & Morty' Voice Justin Roiland Has Been Fired Amid Abuse Charges & Alleged Creepy DMs
They need a new Rick (and Morty).
Morty and Rick. Right: Justin Roiland with a Rick statue.
Rick And Morty star Justin Roiland has been fired from the show that he co-created and voiced after it was reported that he'd been charged with domestic abuse in California.
The charges prompted many of Roiland's critics to share alleged leaked DMs and comments about underage girls from the past.
This article contains content that may be upsetting to some of our readers.
Adult Swim announced Tuesday that it has "ended its association" with Roiland, although the show will not be cancelled.
"Rick and Morty will continue," the show's Twitter account wrote.
Roiland voiced both of the lead characters in the show, meaning someone else will have to step in going forward.
While it's unclear how the show plans to replace Roiland, some fans have already started offering up their own impressions of the lead characters in hopes of landing the role.
\u201cMy Rick and Morty audition tape (part 1)\u201d— Donavan (DeathCripps) (@Donavan (DeathCripps)) 1674636869
The charges against Roiland go back to 2020, according to a criminal complaint obtained by NBC News. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges — one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury and one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud and/or deceit.
NBC News reports that the allegations involve an anonymous woman Roiland was dating in early 2020, although many of the details and court records remain sealed.
After being charged in May 2020, Roiland was released on bond in August before pleading not guilty at his arraignment in October 2020. There have been several pre-trial hearings, and Roiland is due back in court on April 27, per NPR.
His attorney, T. Edward Welbourn, said reports about the case are "inaccurate" in a statement to NPR.
"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."
Roiland was also accused earlier this month of sending sexualized DMs to a 16-year-old fan.
"Is it cool being a jailbait?" he allegedly asked, according to the unverified screenshots that spread widely on Twitter and Reddit.
A few others responded to the criminal charges by sharing their own explicit DMs from Roiland.
\u201cI\u2019ll say more later. For now, I\u2019ll just share the types of \u201cfunny\u201d DMs Justin Roiland would send me. (Posted and deleted this last night because I was worried about any backlash. But this dude made ME - someone who wrote a Rick & Morty concept album - never watch his show again)\u201d— Allie \u201cNine Inch Nails\u201d Goertz (@Allie \u201cNine Inch Nails\u201d Goertz) 1673666098
Others shared a clip of Roiland talking about teen girls on a podcast.
\u201cstraight from Justin Roiland\u2019s mouth: \u201c100 years ago it was little 13 year old girls \u2014 if they were built like a woman they were getting married and having kids. and now we\u2019re going to be all Precious about it?\u201d \nhttps://t.co/83p1GCx6qM\u201d— the demon seed of davey jones (@the demon seed of davey jones) 1673814165
Roiland hasn't responded to the allegations about DMing underage fans.
Roiland and Dan Harmon launched Rick And Morty in 2013, and it became an instant hit with critics and fans. The show is a loose parody of Back To The Future in which a grumpy genius (Rick) and his neurotic grandson (Morty) go on various wild adventures across time, space and dimensions. Roiland has been the voice of both Rick and Morty since the beginning.
Roiland and Harmon signed a mega-deal after the show's third season to produce 70 more episodes. They're not even halfway through that deal at this point.
Harmon is expected to run the show on his own over going forward, although he's also faced accusations of sexual misconduct in the past.
Former Community writer Megan Ganz previously accused Harmon of treating her "like garbage" while he was her boss on the show after she rejected his romantic advances. Ganz called Harmon out over the incident on Twitter in 2018, and Harmon ultimately apologized.
Roiland has not faced trial at this point, and no date has been set.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of domestic violence, refer to these resources available across the country. Support is available.