One thing that’s absolutely clear to me: anyone who claims they could tell that Roiland was a terrible person just from watching Rick and Morty is wrong. Writing about characters who do bad things and telling jokes that are gross or even offensive isn’t evidence of someone being an abuser. Decent people can make extremely messed up art and abusers can make Toy Story and The Avengers.
Are parts of the show more uncomfortable in retrospect? Absolutely. The show has included many incest and sexual assault-related storylines, a carryover from Roiland’s more explicit “Doc and Mharti” videos for Channel 101. Roiland has spoken about having been a victim of such abuse himself, so this recurring theme seemed like a dark humor coping mechanism. In light of the allegations against Roiland, these jokes seem significantly less defensible.
Even so, how much of these offensive bits can directly be attributed to Roiland is questionable. Arguably the most controversial gags in “Rick and Morty”—the “soul orgy” in Season 4’s “Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim’s Morty” and the “giant incest baby” storyline throughout Season 5—both came after Roiland’s involvement in the show allegedly diminished. Again, this demonstrates how hard it is to really credit or blame any one person for the success or failure of a show.
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