Earlier this year, Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland faced domestic violence and false imprisonment charges stemming from a January 2020 incident. He subsequently let go of most of his projects as further reports of general unprofessional and lewd behavior surfaced. While that case was ultimately dismissed, several instances of Roiland inappropriately direct messaging women and minors surfaced, as well as comments he made on an episode of the podcast Grandma’s Virginity where he seemingly lamented not being able to have sex with 13-year-old girls because society is too “precious.”
Given his reported behavior thus far, it may not surprise you that Roiland is once again being accused of sexual assault and inappropriately sliding into the DMs of young women and non-binary people. Now, several people are coming forward with new allegations in a report from NBC News just a few months after Roiland’s domestic violence case was dismissed this March. Nearly all of these allegations begin with a meeting on a social media app or dating site and, if true, reveal a pattern to Roiland’s predatory behavior. Roiland’s lawyer, Andrew Brettler, wrote a letter to the publication in which he calls the allegations “false and defamatory.”
NBC News spoke with 11 different people who had been having online conversations with Roiland between the years 2013 to 2022. Nine of those who were interviewed allege Roiland quickly made those conversations sexual, and three of those nine people were 16 when they first spoke with the former Rick and Morty star. These conversations would follow similar patterns. Roiland would even use near-identical phrasing while pursuing these people, usually beginning a conversation, jokingly talking about Rick and Morty before asking questions like, “Are you into girls?” If the person he spoke with expressed discomfort, Roiland would apologize by either saying he wasn’t trying to be “creepy” or that he had been drinking.
If a person he was talking to were under 18, Roiland would generally cut off communication for several months before resurfacing when they were of age, or closer to it; one non-binary person interviewed said Roiland offered to pay round-trip so they could visit him in LA before they reminded him they weren’t 18 yet. “Haha, holy s–t!” Roiland responded. “I assumed you were!” When this person turned 20, Roiland invited them to a party where he attempted to make them kiss two women Roiland had also invited. Originally viewing Roiland as a friend and mentor, they said they’ve now realized Roiland groomed them and eventually posted their messages on Facebook in November 2022 once they came to terms with “the depth of what all had happened.”
Another alleged victim said she met Roiland in person when she was 20 after matching with him on Tinder in 2019. Roiland bought her a few mixed drinks as she was underage, and the two went shopping together. After buying her a few things, Roiland invited her to his hotel, where she alleges he forced her to perform oral sex on him after she declined. “I felt a lot of different feelings like it was my fault. I felt guilty for asking him to buy me stuff,” she told NBC News. “I felt maybe I owed it to him. And I was embarrassed.” She messaged Roiland a few months later, telling him, “You did not handle the sexual stuff that happened with us in the best way.” Roiland apologized before saying, “That is not me whatsoever… I literally didn’t get consent??”
The other allegations vary in severity, but most follow a similar pattern of Roiland striking a light conversation with a person before inundating them with sexual messages and pressuring them to meet him in person before apologizing for making them uncomfortable.
Justin Roiland was removed from Rick and Morty earlier this year but his characters’ status remains up in the air
Adult Swim announced Roiland’s departure from Rick and Morty in January when news of his domestic violence case and other concerning reports of sexual misconduct began surfacing. The popular show is already well into its promotional cycle for its upcoming seventh season but has yet to address how it is handling the titular characters now that Roiland is no longer voicing them. A recent teaser on Twitter/X/whatever Elon’s calling it this week shows Beth and Summer talking about the latest season while somewhat breaking the fourth wall, as Rick and Morty tend to do. However, the show’s main protagonists are still conspicuously missing from any promo.
It seems Rick and Morty intentionally avoids revealing the replacement voice actor(s), whether to drum up media attention or avoid a wave of angry fans complaining about the new voices. Earlier this summer, there was some speculation on whether Adult Swim could even replace Roiland given the SAG-Aftra strikes, and while there’s no confirmation that’s the case, it could mean the characters remain silent the entirety of season seven or are just written out completely. Whatever the case, Rick and Morty is set to return Oct. 15 without Roiland.