Adult Swim of Cartoon Network fame announced it has ended its relationship with Rick Roiland, the co-creator of the popular Rick and Morty adult cartoon series. The cutting of ties comes after Roiland was accused of domestic abuse in a case that dates back to 2020.
“Adult Swim has ended its association with Justin Roiland,” Adult Swim/Cartoon Network/Boomerang svp of communications Mairie Moore said in a terse statement on Tuesday, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
— Rick and Morty (@RickandMorty) January 24, 2023
Roiland’s voice roles will be recast for the remaining shows through season ten, the Reporter added. And while his name will remain as co-creator, his partner, Dan Harmon, will go forward as the show’s lone showrunner.
Harmon has sexual abuse allegations of his own, including an incident in 2018 that caused him to lose his job with the sitcom Community.
It is not yet known if Roiland’s deal with 20th Television Animation, with which he is producing Hulu’s Solar Opposites, is in jeopardy.
Early this month, it was reported that the 42-year-old producer was charged with one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury and one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud, and/or deceit reportedly against a woman known only as “Jane Doe” thus far, according to NBC News.
Justin Roiland, co-creator and star of Rick and Morty, has been charged with domestic violence and false imprisonment relating to a 2020 incident.https://t.co/u9ZqQR3UL2 pic.twitter.com/cu4oikhRWd
— Screen Rant (@screenrant) January 12, 2023
The woman who claims to have been abused said the incident occurred in Jan. of 2020. Roiland was charged for the incident on May of 2020, was arrested, and released on a $50,000 bond by August. He was formally arraigned in Oct. of that year. An order of protection was also filed against Roiland that stays in effect until Oct. of this year. It is not known just who filed for the protective order. The court records had been sealed until now.
Roiland has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Edward Welbourn, an attorney for Roiland, submitted a statement to Breitbart News insisting that Roiland did not commit any wrongdoing: “It is hard to overstate how inaccurate the recent media coverage of this situation has been. 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. We look forward to clearing Justin’s name and helping him move forward as swiftly as possible.”
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