Justin Roiland’s fall from grace has seen nearly everything he’s ever touched get tainted by association, but a new report suggests he may not have been as in charge as he was publicly depicted.
Roiland is accused of serious misconduct which has been described as grooming, as well as facing charges for domestic violence over incidents from a few years prior. A pattern emerged from the allegations of a man who frequently used slurs, and who made sexually repulsive comments to both women and minors.
According to a story from The Hollywood Reporter, there are several moving parts worth noting from Roiland’s removal from Rick and Morty as well as his many other shows. The report details how Roiland may not have actually had any real creative contribution to his series in recent years, with him nearly exclusively doing voice work.
Curiously, his very publicized friendship with Dan Harmon isn’t quite what it seems. The creative duo have not been on speaking terms for several years, despite how often they’re pictured together for media events as close chums.
“More recently, multiple sources say that Roiland, other than voice work, has not had any meaningful creative presence on any of the series that bear his name. In fact, many of his former colleagues say they haven’t heard from him in years, and when they have, it’s been unpleasant. They note, too, that he hasn’t been on speaking terms with his Rick and Morty co-creator, Dan Harmon, for multiple seasons, and a substantial number of staffers on that show as well as Solar Opposites and Koala Man have never actually met Roiland, even over Zoom.”
Rick and Morty was confirmed to continue without Roiland’s involvement in late Jan. 2023, although the likelihood of it reaching its previous peaks feels unlikely. Public opinion has turned quickly on the adult animation, with it hard to remove Roiland from the perception of the show.
The series remains available to stream on HBO Max.
