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Adult Swim & Hulu cut ties with Justin Roiland, Rick and Morty to continue [UPDATED]

Following criminal charges filed against Roiland including felony domestic violence and false imprisonment, Adult Swim has opted to remove him from the show he co-created with Dan Harmon.

Morgan Shaver

January 25, 2023 11:33 AM

Michael Kovac, Getty Images for IMDb

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Updated January 25, 2023 at 11:30 p.m. PT: Following reports of Adult Swim cutting ties with Justin Roiland, Hulu and 20th Animation Television have followed suit and done the same, as reported by Polygon. Roiland was a co-creator, executive producer, and voice actor on Solar Opposites and a voice actor on Koala Man, which are both Hulu Originals. Both shows are expected to continue without Roiland's involvement going forward.

Updated January 24, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. PT: Squanch Games has announced that Justin Roiland has handed in his resignation. The team states that they will continue to develop games and support High On Life.

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— Squanch Games (@SquanchGames) January 25, 2023

Last week, it was revealed that multiple criminal charges had been filed against Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland. The charges include one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury, as well as one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud and/or deceit as outlined by the Orange County District Attorney’s office, with charges dating back to May of 2020.

Following this, Adult Swim announced earlier this afternoon that Rick and Morty will continue without the inclusion of Justin Roiland. The news was shared to social media, with Adult Swim informing Rick and Morty fans that it has officially ended its association with Justin Roiland. Adult Swim goes on to confirm that, “Rick and Morty will continue. The talented and dedicated crew are hard at work on Season 7.”

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— Rick and Morty (@RickandMorty) January 24, 2023

It remains to be seen how well the show will work without Roiland, who not only co-created it but also voices several of its characters including leads Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith. That said, the charges against Roiland are serious, with Roiland currently facing up to seven years in prison if convicted. With this in mind, it makes sense that Adult Swim would choose to sever all ties with the creator regardless of what that might mean for the series moving forward. 

Other information that sheds light on why Adult Swim would want to continue Rick and Morty without Roiland include how the show isn’t even halfway through the 70-episode order that Adult Swim commissioned back in 2018. As outlined by The Hollywood Reporter, Roiland’s roles will be re-cast though he’ll remain credited as its co-creator. Fellow co-creator Dan Harmon will now serve as the show’s solo showrunner, with Rick and Morty locked in not only for Season 7 but through to Season 10.

It remains to be seen whether Roiland will be pulled from other projects, such as Hulu’s Solar Opposites of which he served as co-creator along with a voice actor for its main character. The Hollywood Reporter notes it reached out to Hulu and 20th Television Animation for comment, but has yet to hear back. For more on the matter, be sure to read through our previous coverage of Squanch Games founder Justin Roiland facing charges including felony domestic abuse as reported last week.

Morgan Shaver

Senior Editor

Morgan is a writer from the frozen wastelands of Maine who enjoys metal music, kpop, horror, and indie games. They're also a Tetris fanatic who's fiercely competitive in games like Tetris 99... and all games in general. But mostly Tetris. You can follow Morgan on Twitter @Author_MShaver.