Recently, Rick and Morty and Justin Roiland have been making headlines. If you don't know, Justin Roiland was recently fired from Rick and Morty by Adult Swim which came alongside the announcement the show would continue on without Roiland, a showrunner, producer, and lead voice actor. So, what happened, and what's the future of Rick and Morty?
Not to worry, because in this article, we'll tell you everything you need to know about what's going on with Justin Roiland and Rick and Morty.
The Justin Roiland Situation Explained
Part one of the situation comes down to charges filed against Roiland back in 2020 that are still in progress with a trial that's yet to happen.
Roiland is facing a felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury and a felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud and/or deceit against an unnamed woman he was dating in 2020, according to the Orange County Superior Court records.
More details about the encounter and specifically what happened have not yet been revealed, nor has Roiland yet been judged by a jury of his peers to be either innocent or guilty just yet. However, more information will likely come out as the eventual trial approaches.
As far as Roiland himself goes, he's denied wrongdoing before, and his lawyer has recently made similar statements to the effect of planning to prove Roiland's innocence and all charges being expected to be dropped. Of course, though, we'll have to wait and see how the legal system sorts all of this out for some more concrete answers.
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However, this news did break years ago, in 2020, when the charges were originally filed, and the general idea seems to be that considering the case was in the process of being fought that Adult Swim was waiting on the resolution of said case before taking action against Roiland.
So, why is Adult Swim terminating its relationship with Roiland now? Well, the charges against him are part of that, no doubt, but that brings us to part two of the situation where other concerning Justin Roiland behaviors have recently come to light as well.
Essentially, the Sparknotes is as follows: Recently, various women have started to share their interactions with Roiland on social media, and it seems like Roiland was inappropriate, overly sexual, and perhaps even predatory with what were often young, and possibly underage, women.
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The most controversial DMs attached to Roiland were allegedly between him and a 16-year-old fan in 2015 where Roiland would say things to the effect of encouraging the minor to start "cam whoring" and making all sorts of sexual comments to the girl in question.
Currently, it's unclear if all these DMs have been verified as legitimately coming from Roiland, if there's further context to the conversations between the two, and whether or not the girl was considered underage depending on where she lived at the time, but altogether, if the messages are accurate, they certainly paint Roiland as a creepy older guy who doesn't know how to behave when it comes to his much younger female fans.
Ultimately, the decision from Adult Swim came down in the context of both those DMs being revealed as well as the charges filed against Roiland, with the brand likely deciding that working with Roiland was becoming too much of a risk going forward.
However, this all begs the question of what's going to happen with Rick and Morty going forward.
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The Future of Rick and Morty
In 2018, Rick and Morty was renewed through Season 10, and Season 6 premiered last year in 2022. The upcoming Season 7 is to be the last season with Roiland's involvement, while that leaves, at least, 3 more seasons of Rick and Morty that will be created without Roiland's involvement, and perhaps even more if the show continues on past Season 10.
Justin Roilands both titular characters of the show, Rick and Morty, as well as a host of other characters too, and his distinctive voice, brand of humor, and voice acting performances have given the show much of its trademark style and appeal over the years. Accordingly, many are worried about whether or not Adult Swim can effectively cast a replacement.
Though, co-creator Dan Harmon will be remaining on as a writer, producer, and now, the sole showrunner, so there's certainly reason to believe the original vision for the show will stay intact outside of the news that Roiland will no longer be involved with the show's production.
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On one hand, the voices of Roiland have become so famous, popular, and iconic, it's hard to believe that there are no talented voice actors out there who can't do those voices in a way indistinguishable from how Roiland did the voices. However, another key part of the equation comes down to Roiland's role in the show as a creative force.
Roiland's become well known for his improvisation and unique, quirky style, so even if other actors can well do the voices as well as him, many are wondering if they can bring the same level of whacky creativity to the show that Roiland did. Of course, this remains to be seen, but considering the talented crew of writers that creates each episode, including creator Dan Harmon, remains intact, it's certainly possible the writers can keep the quality consistent.
Ultimately, Roiland's departure from Rick and Morty is certainly bad news for the show, and while that's worth recognizing, there is a possibility that the show can continue on under the guidance of Dan Harmon and manage to remain successful. Furthermore, if Roiland is vindicated when it comes to the charges against him, perhaps he may one day return to the show.
We'll all have to wait and see.
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