A series of new allegations have been made against Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland. Fans were recently shocked when he received two felony charges from an alleged 2020 domestic violence incident. This was soon followed by several allegations of sexual abuse.
So, as shared via THR, numerous other claims and allegations have now been made against Justin Roiland. This includes a claim of sexual harassment that would have occurred during the third season of Rick and Morty – and which was formally investigated by Cartoon Network.
The sexual harassment is said to have occurred during the show’s third season because that’s when fellow co-creator Dan Harmon hired the show’s first female writers. At this point, however, Roiland is said to have taken this as an opportunity for harassment. He would draw lewd images on whiteboards and frequently mentioned threesomes to the staff. This eventually culminated in an alleged “really creepy“ text for a female employee to come to his house late at night.
Interestingly, this appears to also be a result of Roiland’s disapproval with the direction of the series. The show’s successful first season marked a major turning point and so the second season had to be taken much more seriously. Roiland did not appreciate this direction and it’s said that he became “surly, petulant, uncommunicative and grouchy, like he always wished he was doing something else.”
So, naturally, by the third season he’s said to have quit his regular visits to work. Although he’s said to have shown up on special occasions only when a high-profile celebrity was involved. This includes such visitors as Kanye West and adult film star Riley Reid.
Interestingly, it’s said that his relationship with Harmon never improved. In fact, the network hired a mediator to improve their relationship until the attempt failed. This means that Roiland is said to have had little to no creative involvement with Rick and Morty, Solar Opposites, or Koala Man in the time since.
As such, for those wondering how the shows will operate now that he’s been fired, it seems like they’ve already been operating without him. Of course, Roiland still lent his voice to certain characters like both Rick and Morty, but he only did so from home with no direction. Now the roles will be recast and the shows will continue forward without him.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates on the Justin Roiland situation as we have them.