Despite being a fan of Rick & Morty for years, I never heard the stories circulating Twitter and Tumblr about Justin Roiland. About how he slides into the DMs of underage girls. About his attempts to groom these girls into sexual acts. About how, in a very Chris d’Elia or Andrew Tate way, he manipulates them into believing they’re in a relationship rather than the latest in a string of victims. I didn’t know Rick & Morty’s premise came from Roiland’s original sketch, The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti, which featured graphic child abuse. I didn’t know his studio, Squanch Games, was sued for sexual harassment in 2019. And I didn’t know that in 2020, Roiland was arrested for striking his girlfriend so hard she required medical attention and kept her from leaving his home.
NBC News first reported on Roiland’s arrest Jan. 12 of this year, though most of the case’s details remain sealed. The assault happened in January 2022 and Roiland was charged in May and arrested in August of 2020. A protective order already exists for victim Jane Doe, and Roiland isn’t allowed within 100 feet of her, nor threaten or surveil the woman in question.
It took a long time for reports to come to light outside of specific Twitter, Tumblr, and Reddit threads. That’s not surprising. Thanks to Adult Swim and Hulu, Roiland leads an animation empire. Between the commercial success of Rick and Morty, the merchandising, the expanded stable of shows, and the popularity of Squanch Games’ newest release, High on Life, Roiland is coining it for his employers. Rick and Morty’s extensive and frankly sociopathic fanbase ensure that most stories of his alleged wrongdoing get drowned like a chicken nugget in Szechuan sauce, something else that drove them insane.
Uncomfortable sexual situations are part and parcel of the Rick and Morty universe. Roiland has spoken before about being sexually abused. If you don’t know about these allegations, it’s easy to see characters like King Jellybean, the Slut Dragons, and the Giant Incest Baby (don’t ask) as Roiland’s quirky sense of humor finding a way to process his own past experiences. But in the wake of domestic assault charges and reports of inappropriate behavior, with receipts, it takes on a different tone. Some of Roiland’s former colleagues have made statements as well, such as former Rick and Morty writer Caitie Delaney and musician Allie Goertz. Like Weinstein, CK, d’Elia, and Spacey, Roiland’s sketchy behavior appears to be an open secret among his peers.
It remains to be seen what, if anything, will come of Roiland’s arrest and prosecution. If there’s one thing at which the media culture excels, it’s welcoming back abusers. Ezra Miller managed to turn their trespassing and felony burglary charges. Accusations of grooming and child endangerment, into probation with a promise not to drink if it interferes with their work. It’s easy to see how Roiland might walk from the domestic abuse charge, given his own financial resources and the huge stake Cartoon Network and Hulu have in his success. Money talks.
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