Rick and Morty co-creator and star Justin Roiland has been charged with felony domestic violence in Orange County, California. As reported by NBC News, the charge is connected to a 2020 incident, according to a criminal complaint filed in May 2020 by the Orange County District Attorney in California.
Roiland pleaded not guilty in 2020. "We look forward to clearing Justin's name and helping him move forward as swiftly as possible," T. Edward Welbourn, one of Roiland's attorneys, wrote in a statement.
According to the criminal complaint in the case, Roiland is being 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 complaint states the incident occurred on or about January 19, 2020, against an anonymous Jane Doe who was dating Roiland at the time.
Roiland was arrested and released on a $50,000 bond in August 2020 and arraigned in October 2020. He pleaded not guilty to both charges and since then, the case has been subject to dozens of court hearings, including pre-trial hearings.
There was also a protective order filed in October 2020 which states that Roiland is not to harass, threaten or surveil the person named in the protective order. Roiland can also not go within 100 feet of the person. The identity of the person named in the protective order is not known to NBC News or the general media.
Justin Roiland is best known as the co-creator of Rick and Morty, an adult animated series on Adult Swim for which Roiland also voices the protagonists Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith. The show aired its sixth season in September 2022 and a seventh season was ordered by Cartoon Network as part of a long-term deal for 70 new episodes.
Roiland also co-created Hulu's sci-fi animated series Solar Opposites, in which he voices the main character, Korvo. The series was renewed for a fifth season in October 2022.
More recently, Roiland released the video game High on Life which was developed through his studio Squanch Games and released in late 2022. High on Life, a comedy-shooter featuring charismatic talking guns, found great success, becoming the top-selling game on Steam and the biggest Game Pass release of 2022. It was also the biggest 3rd party launch in Game Pass history and the biggest single-player game launch on Game Pass ever.
Of course, all of this success is now overshadowed by these horrifying charges. As of Thursday's hearing, a plea deal is currently available to Roiland, but his attorneys have not discussed the details. The case will convene again on April 27 with Roiland ordered to attend the hearing. It's unclear how these charges will affect the future of Roiland's projects. Adult Swim, whose parent company Warner Bros. Discovery also owns Cartoon Network, declined to comment.