In early January, it was announced that voice actor and writer Justin Roiland was facing charges for domestic violence, although the court case against him was ultimately dismissed in March. Nevertheless, this legal drama resulted in him being fired from multiple TV shows he’d been starring in, including Rick & Morty and Solar Opposites, both of which he also co-created. Now word’s come in that yet another fan-favorite animated comedy has recast Roiland: Adventure Time.
Although the original Adventure Time ended back in 2018, fans can now revisit this fantastical world through the spinoff, Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake, which premiered to Max subscribers on August 31. The latest episode, "Prismo the Wishmaster,” sees the return of Lemongrab, the shrill-voiced antagonist created by Princess Bubblegum who lives in the realm also known as Lemongrab. This time around though, the character is being voiced by RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon rather than Roiland. Monsoon was also heard voicing Normulon in the same episode.
For those unfamiliar with Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake, the show follows gender-swapped versions of the original Adventure Time protagonists, Finn the Human and Jake the Dog. Now the viewers are focused on Fionna the Human and Cake the Cat, and they’re just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to gender-swapped characters from the original show. To be clear though, Monsoon is voting both a gender-swapped Lemongrab as well as the main version. No official reason was given for Roiland’s recasting, so it’s hard to say if it’s also tied to the court case from earlier this year or stemmed from something else.
This is just the latest voice acting credit on Jinkx Monsoon’s resume, with her other work on animated shows including Steven Universe, Mighty Magiswords and Bravest Warriors. On the live-action front, Monsoon will appear in Doctor Who Season 14 as a mysterious character dressed in a piano-themed costume, which prompted fans to speculate on what this “major role” could be. The actress was also seen earlier this year playing Mama Morton in Chicago on Broadway.
As far as Justin Roiland goes, along with the aforementioned shows, he was also let go from Koala Man, which, like Solar Opposites, can be viewed with a Hulu subscription. Speaking of Solar Opposites, Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens was tapped to take over the role of Korvo in Season 4, which premiered on August 14. Then there’s Rick & Morty, which will premiere its seventh season on October 15. It still hasn’t been announced yet who will take over as the title characters, although unlike with Solar Opposites, they’ll sound basically the same as opposed to drastically different.
Catch new episodes of Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake Thursdays on Max. If you’re looking for something else to watch, use our 2023 TV schedule to find out what’s currently airing or will be soon.
