Adult Swim has severed ties with Justin Roiland after it was revealed the Rick and Morty co-creator has been charged with domestic violence in Orange County.
“Adult Swim has ended its association with Justin Roiland,” Adult Swim/Cartoon Network/Boomerang SVP Communications Mairie Moore said in a statement Tuesday.
Adult Swim distributes Rick and Morty, the smash hit adult animated comedy that Roiland co-created, executive produced and voiced both as Rick and Morty. As reported on Jan. 17, Adult Swim isn’t even halfway through a massive 70-episode order for the show, one of the brand’s most popular titles, commissioned by the network in 2018.
Sources say Rick and Morty will continue with Roiland’s voice roles set to be recast. Though Roiland will always be credited as a co-creator, his co-creator Dan Harmon will now be the lone showrunner. The show is banned until season 10.
Roiland still has several projects ongoing with Hulu, including co-creating streamer Solar Opposites, in which he voices a main character (the show was renewed for a fifth season in October). Roiland is voicing and executive producing on the platform’s Koala Man, which premiered January 9. Roiland also has an overall deal with 20th Television Animation, which produces Solar Opposites and Koala Man. has reached out to Hulu and 20th Television Animation for comment.
On Jan. 12, NBC News broke the news that Roiland was charged with one count of assault and one charge of false imprisonment by threat, violence, fraud or deception in Orange County over an alleged incident in 2020 that year with a unnamed Jane Doe, who Roiland was dating. Roiland has pleaded not guilty and was released on $50,000 bail in 2020. Several pre-trial hearings have already taken place and Roiland is scheduled to return to court on April 27.
In a statement earlier this month, Roiland’s attorney, T. Edward Welbourn, said media coverage of the case had been “inaccurate.” Welbourn added, “To be clear, Not only is Justin innocent, but we have the expectation that this matter will be dismissed once prosecutors have completed their methodical review of the evidence.”
Lesley Goldberg contributed coverage.