'Rick and Morty' creator dropped by Hulu after abuse charges

Hulu has become the second television company to cut ties with the creator of the animated series ‘Rick and Morty’ after felony domestic abuse charges against him were revealed

January 27, 2023 05:09 pm | Updated January 28, 2023 03:30 pm IST

Justin Roiland

Justin Roiland | Photo Credit: AP

Hulu became the second television company to cut ties with “Rick and Morty” creator Justin Roiland after felony domestic abuse charges against him were revealed.

“We have ended our association with Justin Roiland," 20th TV Animation and Hulu Originals said in a statement.

Roiland co-created and provides voices for the streaming outlet's animated show “Solar Opposites,” and is also a producer and actor on its animated “Koala Man.” Both shows will continue without him.

On Tuesday, Cartoon Network's Adult Swim division, home to the animated sci-fi sitcom “Rick and Morty,” made the same move, saying in a brief statement that they have ended their association with Roiland.

A still from ‘Rick and Morty’

A still from ‘Rick and Morty’

Squanch Games, a video game developer Roiland co-founded, said on Twitter later Tuesday that he had resigned from the company.

Roiland, 42, was charged in Orange County, California in January of 2020 with two counts of felony domestic violence against a former girlfriend that he was living with. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

The charges went unreported until NBC News ran a story on them earlier this month.

Roiland's attorney and publicist did not immediately reply to emails seeking comment. Roiland provided the voices of the two title characters, a mad scientist and his grandson, in “Rick and Morty." He and Dan Harmon created the show that has run for six seasons and has been renewed for a seventh.

Adult Swim has said the series will continue without him, but have not announced who the new vocal performers will be.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.