Adult Swim announced Tuesday that it has cut ties with Justin Roiland, the star and co-creator of the animated comedy series “Rick and Morty,” as he faces felony domestic violence charges.
The cable channel retweeted a statement from the official “Rick and Morty” Twitter account that it intends to continue with the show’s seventh season but that it has “ended its association with Justin Roiland.” Adult Swim confirmed the news in an emailed statement to NBC News.
Roiland, who voices title-characters Rick and Morty, will be recast, according to Marie Moore, senior vice president of communications at Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns Adult Swim.
NBC News first broke the news that Roiland had been charged with felony domestic violence in Orange County, California, in connection to a 2020 incident.
Roiland pleaded not guilty in 2020 and was in court for a pre-trial hearing on Jan. 12. In a statement, one of Roiland’s attorneys wrote that his client is innocent and expects the case to be dismissed.
“We look forward to clearing Justin’s name and helping him move forward as swiftly as possible,” attorney T. Edward Welbourn wrote.
Roiland, 42, was charged with one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury and one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud and/or deceit.
The criminal complaint states the incident occurred on or about Jan. 19, 2020, against a woman, identified as Jane Doe, who was dating Roiland at the time.
Details of the case, including police body camera footage, police reports, abuse investigation reports, medical reports and recordings of interviews are currently being withheld from the public under a protective order.
The affidavit in support of Roiland’s arrest is also sealed. Roiland was ordered at the pretrial hearing earlier this month to attend a subsequent April 27 hearing.
“Rick and Morty” debuted in December 2013 and quickly became one of the most popular adult-oriented cartoons, spawning a billion-dollar media and merchandising franchise. The show’s sixth season premeried in September 2022, and a seventh season was ordered by Cartoon Network as part of a long-term deal for 70 new episodes.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
