kotaku.com
Ethan Gach
The main voice behind Rick and Morty won’t be returning in season seven. Adult Swim announced on Tuesday that it would cut ties with series co-creator Justin Roiland, a decision that comes just weeks after news first surfaced that he was facing two felony domestic abuse charges from 2020.
“Adult Swim has ended its association with Justin Roiland,” the Rick and Morty account tweeted today. “Rick and Morty will continue. The talented and dedicated crew are hard at work on Season 7.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, Roiland’s voice roles will be re-cast and Dan Harmon will remain the sole creator through season 10.
Adult Swim did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Roiland could not immediately be contacted for comment.
Earlier this month, Roiland made a court appearance in an ongoing criminal case in California where he faces felony domestic abuse charges for battery and false imprisonment. The actor and showrunner has pled not guilty but so far not publicly commented on the allegations.
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If you’re a current or former employee at Squanch Games or on the Rick and Morty show and would like to chat, either on or off the record, my inbox is open at ethan.gach@kotaku.com (Signal and Proton upon request).
The news came shortly after Roiland’s game studio, Squanch Games, released High On Life. The edgy comedic first-person shooter divided critics but quickly became the biggest Game Pass launch of the year. However, Kotaku recently reported that the studio previously faced a sexual harassment lawsuit by a former employee back in 2018. While Roiland was not mentioned in the lawsuit, it claimed the studio had failed to create a safe and equitable work environment, and that the employee was terminated in retaliation for her complaints. While Squanch Games denied the allegations, it later settled out of court.
“Squanch Games is committed to creating an inclusive and supportive work environment for our team,” a spokesperson for the studio told Kotaku earlier this month. “We don’t publicly disclose personnel matters, and we stand by the decision we made in 2017, not to reveal the confidential information as it relates to this case.”
Squanch Games has yet to issue a statement about whether Roiland will continue on as its CEO.
Update 1/24/23 7:46 p.m. ET: Squanch Games just released a new statement revealing that Roiland resigned last week. “The passionate team at Squanch will keep developing games we know our fans will love while continuing to support and improve High On Life,” the studio wrote.
Correction 1/24/23 6:19 p.m. ET: An earlier version of this article misstated the plea Roiland entered to the court over the charges.