Justin Roiland who is the co-creator of the infamous animated show Rick and Morty has officially been dropped from the show. Roiland voiced both Rick and Morty on the show. Roiland has been charged with felony domestic abuse in Orange County. In the article it states, “The 42-year-old has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial after being charged with corporal injury and false imprisonment by menace, fraud, violence or deceit”. Back in 2020, the charges against Roiland were from an unidentified woman who was living and dating him at that time. His attorney made a statement expressing how Justin is innocent and that they will win the case. The show itself is already very controversial with many critics breathing down its back. Now with the news of Justin Roiland being charged with a felony it has really striked the critics. Marie Moore who is the senior vice president of communications at the show’s distributor Adult Swim made her statement regarding the charges made against Roiland. It is believed that Rick and Morty will continue with Roiland’s voice roles re-cast and he will retain his credit as co-creator. As of 2023, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, all charges against Justin Roiland have been dropped as a result of insufficient evidence. It is unclear whether Adult Swim will allow Roiland to come back and voice Rick and Morty as well as the other shows and voice actors he has done. With that being said, the controversy wars on social media have begun. Some people believe he should be given a second chance since the charges were dropped while others believe he did it and was let off. With Rick and Morty being famous for its questionable and controversial episodes and Justin Roiland being the co-creator, it’s no surprise why many people don’t want him coming back at all.
I wish I could say this surprised me many major names can be let off when the charges don’t get prominent media coverage. if they get media coverage they are more likely to be convicted with harsher punishments in order to make an example of them.
I think that if Justin Roiland is guilty, it was not smart of him to plead not guilty. Even if he is innocent, I think that Adult Swim should not ever allow him back on the show. His name has been tarnished, and it would be extremely unfortunate for him if this was done over nothing, but I doubt it was. Even so, having SA charges associated with the show is very negative publicity, and for such a popular show, bringing him back at all would change the way it is remembered by its viewers and the general public. As a viewer of this show myself, I was extremely disappointed to hear of this horrible news. It disgusts me to know what those in a position of power are possible to get away with. If they brought Justin back onto the show, I would not watch it again because it goes against everything I stand for.
It came to me as a shock how silent the trial was before it went public. I see many comments talking about cancel culture but I don’t see much social media war about him being reinstated. The details of the case have been kept shut pretty tightly so it could be nothing or it could be career-ending. Separating the art from the artist must be done here. Justin Roiland has a huge influence on thousands, some can argue they grew up watching his show. And the charges given have been sincere. Why they dropped the charges will put everyone at ease.
Like what many have already said, no matter what the ruling is the damage has been done. Cancel culture has tarnished his name and as a result it is highly unlikely that Adult Swim will rehire him as a result of this controversy. People so quickly and willingly jumped the gun and were advocating against him when the controversy arose, that when the charges dropped the news of the controversy was still to hot of a topic to drop and associate to his name that he most likely will never be viewed positively in the light anymore.
Even if the verdict given by the court is true, the media will never welcome him back with open arms. Cancel culture has done is job on him and there is no amount of work that can be done to undo that damage. There will always be people who think that he ‘got away with it’ or the system is flawed and he should be in jail. These people will prevent him from ever returned to Rick and Morty or working in the public spotlight ever again.
The reality of the situation is that Justin Roiland’s name is most likely permanently tarnished by this controversy now, so Adult Swim will probably not bring him back just because of the situation surrounding him, even if he is not guilty. As to what should be done, if Roiland has truly been found innocent and hasn’t done the things he has been accused of doing, then it seems acceptable to bring him back from my point of view. However, as I mentioned previously, this probably won’t happen due to the controversy Roiland’s name is associated with now.
This article is very interesting because I actually really liked to watch rick and morty and I have heard about this case before. It was very shocking to see that one of your favorite cartoons were created by an individual under investigation for domestic abuse. I really hope that these charges are not true, but if it is, it will really tarnish the tv show rick and morty. It would be interesting to follow this case and see the outcome of this case.
Something I have always struggled with is the idea of whether we can separate the art from the artist. In cases where the artists is exposed as someone who perpetrates crime it can be especially difficult for fans to decide whether to support this artist by engaging with their work or if it’s better to just ignore their art forever. I think for me it is possible to separate the art from the artist when their work is especially meaningful to you or if you consuming it gives them no financial gain, but really I have to make my decision artist by artist.
This piece brings up a good point about cancel culture and the legal system. As said before, it’s always up to the court to determine someone being guilty of a crime, yet the social repercussions can be so drastic. Of course charges like domestic violence should be taken seriously, yet it’s sad to see how quick not only social groups but corporations letting off their employees for claims like these that have not been fully proven yet. I think cancel culture has been becoming very toxic in this age because no one is allowed to at least stand up for themselves before they are completely outcasted.
With the internet and social media, there is room for a much larger audience to have an opinion on legal matters regarding famous individuals. At the end of the day, the only authority over these matters are the courts. While public image for shows like Rick an Morty and Adult Swim as a whole is important, if the charges were dropped there is no legal reason for his continued exclusion from production. “Cancel culture”, as it has come to be known, has ruined the reputations of many well known people. Some of it is valid, but a lot of the time the general public jumps on the bandwagon and demands accountability from innocent parties. We as the public do not have all the evidence from such court cases, and have no authority to dictate whether or not these people are guilty of the crimes they are charged with. If the courts found him innocent, we have to have faith in these systems.
Cancel culture nowadays can be toxic to our society, because instead of letting the system work out what is deemed to be “justice” people create assumptions that lead to conclusions about individuals such as Roiland. While being accused of such acts is never ideal, especially when they are false accusations, we have to remember that he was charged, not convicted and determined as a guilty party. Justin co-created a show that is loved by many, and for people to quickly agree with the media that he DID commit these acts, without having any evidence to support their claims, just goes to show how prominent cancel culture is today.
This exact scenario keeps happening, first Roiland with Rick and Morty, then it was most recently Ant-Man and the Wasps: Quantimania’s very own Jonathan Majors, who was accused of abusing a woman, and even after the testimony was recanted, and the “victim” said it was a lie, he still lost his role in the Army’s advertisement campaign, based primarily on him. It’s just sad that in this day and age, you are no longer innocent until proven guilty, especially when its regarding men.
I like this article because it introduces the intersection of cancel culture and politics. I think that there are certain cases where the verdict should be left up to the law and if there is not sufficient evidence, then we should abide by that and trust that the judicial system knows how to do its job. On the hand, we all know that the justice system has not always been the best at delivering justice to individuals, and victims of abuse tend to get the short end of the stick while their abusers are let off. But social media users can not provide evidence to contribute to the case and cancel culture does nothing but introduce shame which leads to nowhere.
The co-creator of Rick and Morty, a popular already controversial TV show has been booted off on the basis of his felony domestic abuse charges. The charges have been dropped which pose the question if he should be able to stay on the show. This reminds me of separating art from the artist, however I still believe in consequences. Cancel culture is often too quick to reprimand people and if Roiland did not commit any of these acts I think he should get his job back and a big apology cake.
The news of Justin Roiland being dropped from Rick and Morty due to felony domestic abuse charges is certainly concerning. While all charges have since been dropped due to insufficient evidence, the controversy surrounding the situation and the show’s already controversial nature may lead to continued criticism and backlash. It remains to be seen whether Roiland will be allowed to return to the show or other projects he has worked on, and it is important to remember that these situations should be taken seriously and handled with care.
I think people who don’t want him to return are ridiculous because he was only charged, but not convicted. If unsubstantiated domestic abuse charges can also destroy a man’s work career, this will lead to more men not wanting to get married. Justin is only the co-creator, not the sole creator. The problems with the controversial episodes should not leave him alone in responsibility.