Adult Swim cut its ties with “Rick and Morty” co-creator Justin Roiland on Tuesday, following news that he was awaiting trial on felony domestic violence charges.
“Adult Swim has ended its association with Justin Roiland,” the network said in a brief statement, adding that the animated series will continue.
Roiland, 42, was charged in Orange County, Calif., last May for an incident that allegedly occurred in January 2020, but the charges went unnoticed by the media until earlier this month. He faces counts of corporal injury and false imprisonment by menace, fraud, violence or deceit against an unidentified woman he was living with, according to the Associated Press.
“Rick and Morty” is among Adult Swim’s most popular programs. It has aired for six seasons, but is not even halfway through a 70-episode deal announced in 2018. In addition to serving as executive producer, Roiland provides the voices of the main characters Rick and Morty on the show. The Hollywood Reporter said Tuesday that his voice roles will be re-cast, and that co-creator Dan Harmon will take creative control.
Roiland also has a deal with Disney’s DIS, +0.29% Hulu, where he serves as co-creator of the animated series “Solar Opposites,” and served as executive producer of the recent series “Koala Man.” Hulu did not immediately reply to a MarketWatch request for comment late Tuesday.
Adult Swim is the adult-focused animated network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network. Both are units of Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. WBD, -0.96%.