Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland has been fired.
Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland has been fired.
American TV network Adult Swim has cut ties with Rick and Morty star Justin Roiland after the co-creator and voice actor became embroiled in domestic abuse allegations last week.
Roiland co-created the series with Dan Harmon and also voices both title characters.
The TV network posted on social media; “AdultSwim has ended its association with Justin Roiland. Rick and Morty will continue. The talented and dedicated crew are hard at work on season 7.”
Rick and Morty is expected to recast Roiland’s roles. He will also continue to be credited as a co-creator of the series but Harmon will now be the sole showrunner.
Rick and Morty was renewed for 70 episodes in 2018 when it became clear the series, which premiered in 2013, was one of Adult Swim’s most popular projects. The show is slated to run through until season 10.
Adult Swim distributes the beloved and critically lauded animated series in the US while Netflix has a licencing deal for other territories including Australia and New Zealand.
Justin Roiland has been fired from TV series Rick and Morty after abuse allegations. Photo / Getty Images
The sci-fi series follows a mad scientist and his grandson on inter-dimensional adventures. In addition to voicing Rick and Morty, Roiland also played a series of supporting characters. The voice cast also includes Chris Parnell, Spencer Grammer, Sarah Chale and Kari Wahlgren.
Roiland was this month charged with felony domestic violence in California over an alleged 2020 incident. The charge of domestic battery with corporal injury and another charge of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud or deceit relates to a woman with whom Roiland was in a relationship at the time, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Roiland, through his lawyers, has called the media coverage “inaccurate” and proclaimed his innocence.
Roiland also created Solar Opposites, a Hulu production that streams in Australia on Disney+, and is a producer on Australian filmmaker Michael Cusack’s series, Koala Man.
