Rick And Morty’s Canceled Co-Creator Has Shocking Legal Victory
Justin Roiland, co-creator of Rick and Morty, was charged with two felonies that, as of today, have been dropped due to insufficient evidence.
After charging Justin Roiland with two felonies, one count of domestic battery and another of false imprisonment, today the Orange County District Attorney announced that they are dropping the charges due to “insufficient evidence to prove the cases beyond a reasonable doubt.” According to Deadline, the charges were originally filed in 2020 but sat in a semi-sealed state for over two years before moving forward. There’s no word on what this means for Rick and Morty or Solar Opposites, but Roiland has already taken to social media to share his opinion.
According to the accused, everything was “based solely on the word of an embittered ex,” which still led to him being “canceled” and fired from his lucrative animation deals with Cartoon Network and Hulu. After the initial reports about the charges, individuals he worked with on his television shows and with Squanch Games came forward with more scandalous stories about his alleged horrific behavior in the workplace. While the charges have been dropped and no legal battle is set to ensue, Rick and Morty will likely move on from Roiland’s involvement.
As the voice of the two lead characters, it will be hard to imagine someone else stepping into his shoes, though naturally, fans have already suggested, somewhat sarcastically, Chris Pratt. Considering the nihilistic worldview expressed by Rick Sanchez, it’s not a surprise that the fanbase is equally as sarcastic. Will that lead to Justin Roiland being brought back to the series that made him famous?
The protective order given to his accuser will end in October, and with charges dropped, there’s no way that the creator of Rick and Morty will face prison time or go through a lengthy criminal trial. Though with other bad behavior reported in the wake of the criminal allegations, it’s not likely. The search for new voices will continue while on Koala Man; his character may be written out entirely.
Celebrities that are “canceled” will inevitably come back, with stars like Dave Chappelle and DCU Co-CEO James Gunn serving as proof. The worry of being silenced by an online mob may be ever-present, but the consequences are getting easier to deal with. Even the other Rick and Morty co-creator, Dan Harmon, has dealt with the virtual mob of villagers with pitchforks and torches trying to run him out of town.
It didn’t take, which is why he’s now working on the upcoming Community movie, and Justin Roiland will find another creative project to inject with his unique brand of insanity.
Season 6 of Rick and Morty finished airing last December, with no release date set for Season 7, but the show has always had large periods of time between seasons. Depending on how far into production the latest season is and how his bosses at Adult Swim feel about it, Justin Roiland may be able to walk back in as if nothing ever happened. No one can say what happened in 2020 on the night of the alleged incident except for the two parties involved, and if the prosecutor has dropped charges, Justin Roiland is, legally speaking, an innocent man.
Now comes the hard part.
