Adult Swim has confirmed that it has cut ties with Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland. Roiland, who has served as a creative force and as the voice of both Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith, will no longer be involved with the series after six seasons.
Justin Roiland's dismissal from Adult Swim was reported by THR, which received an official statement confirming the news courtesy of Mairie Moore, Adult Swim's senior vice president of communications. The official Rick and Morty Twitter account laid out more details on what fans can expect and how this will impact Season 7:
pic.twitter.com/npS7WpywtDJanuary 24, 2023
News of Justin Roiland's departure came after recent headlines about his upcoming domestic violence court case. Roiland is facing one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury and one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud, and/or deceit. The original alleged incident occurred on January 19 of 2020, and charges followed after a criminal complaint was filed in May of that same year. The allegations come from a woman who Roiland was dating at the time, but her identity has not been publicly revealed.
There's no indication of who may replace Justin Roiland in the roles of Rick and Morty, but it is worth noting this isn't the first time Adult Swim has had to replace a key voice actor on one of its shows. The network cut ties with singer and Squidbillies star Unknown Hinson after he made offensive posts about Dolly Parton back in 2021. The series then welcomed actor Tracy Morgan to voice Hinson's character Early Cuyler in the final season, even though his voice didn't resemble Hinson's.
Rick and Morty could go the same route as Squidbillies, though there are notable imitators online who sound very similar to Roiland's portrayal. TikTok's Sean Kelly has built a large following solely because of his imitation of Morty; could he be someone that Adult Swim might consider for the role when the time comes?
At the same time, Rick and Morty is a science-fiction series that leans into weirdness whenever possible. If Rick Sanchez can turn himself into a pickle, he can also permanently change his and Morty's voices without the show needing to jump the shark to explain too much. In my mind, Rick and Morty is one of the most creative shows on television, so one would think its writers shouldn't struggle too much to find a solution.
It is unclear at this time how this news might impact Justin Roiland's status with other animated shows that he is a part of. Roiland is a co-creator and voice actor on the Hulu series Solar Opposites and an executive producer on the recently launched Koala Man, also available with a Hulu subscription.
Rick and Morty Season 7 is still on the way to Adult Swim. CinemaBlend will keep an eye peeled for updates on who the next voice of the series might be and how the show might address that change.
