In just a short time, the horrid behaviour of Justin Roiland has seen some severe consequences.
Roiland, best known for his work on Rick & Morty, has been removed from his position at almost all his projects. Adult Swim and Hulu have bought cut ties with the creator following the news that he was charged with felony domestic abuse in Orange County, California.
“Adult Swim has ended its association with Justin Roiland,” Adult Swim/Cartoon Network/Boomerang senior VP communications Marie Moore said in a statement Tuesday. In an additional statement made on Wednesday, Hulu and 20th TV Animation said, “We have ended our association with Justin Roiland,”
Hulu aired Solar Opposites and the recently debuted series Koala Man, where Roiland served as an executive producer and voice actor. This move dramatically blows the overall deal he recently penned with 20th Century Animation.
Though not as much of a shake of for Rick & Morty, which Roiland co-created and executive produced and voiced Rick & Morty. For reference, The Hollywood Reporter notes, “Adult Swim isn’t even halfway through a massive 70-episode order for the show.”
The insanely popular series will continue, but Roiland’s voice roles will be recast ASAP. To a mixed reaction from fans online, Dan Harmon is now the sole showrunner.
It isn’t just the world of television; Roiland just launched an extremely popular video game High On Life, which he is now stepping away from. “On January 16th, 2023, Squanch Games received Justin Roiland’s resignation,” the studio behind the game series announced on Twitter.
The news of what Justin Roiland did send shockwaves through the industry. Roiland 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 after a January 2020 incident. There’s also been a slew of inappropriate messages the creator allegedly sent fans over the years, making a perfect shitstorm of alleged issues for the creator.
Earlier this month, Roiland’s attorney T. Edward Welbourn said the media coverage of the case has been “inaccurate.” He adds, “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.”
Roiland is expected to return to court on April 27th.
