Talk about a wild rollercoaster over at the studio behind Rick and Morty. There have been controversies following the show’s creator Justin Roiland for the past few weeks now. Roiland, who voices several characters on the show, has garnered a lot of success through the show on Adult Swim. He and co-creator Dan Harmon—the mind behind Community—have received critical acclaim and several awards throughout the years because of their show. Now, however, it looks like Roiland will no longer be a part of the show that put his name on the map.
Adult Swim has officially ousted Roiland from the series due to the animator facing felony domestic abuse charges from a former relationship – and potentially damaging DMs between an underage girl. With Roiland gone, the people behind Rick and Morty will start searching for his voice replacement. One reason this turn of events is a severe head spinner is that Roiland not only voices multiple characters on the show – but also the two main leads, Rick Sanchez, and his grandson, Morty.
The news comes from Adult Swim’s Twitter account, posted today:
— Rick and Morty (@RickandMorty) January 24, 2023
Rick and Morty was created based on a Back to the Future parody short that featured Roiland as the leads from the same show. The video elevated the animator’s status in Hollywood, opening the door for Roiland and his voice acting. Many other shows featured Roiland’s skills and level of comedy, including Adventure Time, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and Hulu’s Solar Opposites. However, there’s no word if Hulu will follow suit regarding its relationship with Roiland.
Rick and Morty is secured for a ten season run on Adult Swim, and the production company, Starburns Industries, is currently working on the show’s seventh season. It’s also been revealed that future shows will have Dan Harmon credited as the sole creator of Rick and Morty. Roiland has made no public statement from the announcement, but the story is still developing.