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Domestic violence charges against 'Rick and Morty' star Justin Roiland dismissed due to 'insufficient evidence'

Justin Roiland visits Comic-Con International in July 2019. (Photo: Araya Diaz/Getty Images)"Rick and Morty" characters Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith, who are both voiced by Justin Roiland, pictured in the third season of the show. (Photo: Adult Swim/Courtesy: Everett Collection)
Justin Roiland visits Comic-Con International in July 2019. (Photo: Araya Diaz/Getty Images)Justin Roiland visits Comic-Con International in July 2019. (Photo: Araya Diaz/Getty Images)

3/22/2023 UPDATE: The Orange County District Attorney’s office has dismissed charges against Justin Roiland “as a result of having insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt,” spokeswoman Kimberly Edds said in a statement. Roiland commented on social media: “I have always known that these claims were false — and I never had any doubt that this day would come. I’m thankful that this case has been dismissed but, at the same time, I’m still deeply shaken by the horrible lies that were reported about me during this process. Most of all, I’m disappointed that so many people were so quick to judge without knowing the facts, based solely on the word of an embittered ex trying to bypass due process and have me ‘canceled.’ That it may have succeeded, even partially, is shameful. However, now that the legal case has ended, I’m determined to move forward and focus both on my creative projects and restoring my good name.” Both Adult Swim and Hulu declined to comment.

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1/25/2023 UPDATE: Justin Roiland also has been cut from Hulu’s animated series Solar Opposites, which he co-created, stars in and produced, as well as Koala Man, on which he was an executive producer and voice actor. 20th Television Animation, which produces both shows, previously had a deal with him, but that’s off. In a joint statement, Hulu and 20th Television Animation tell Yahoo Entertainment, “We have ended our association with Justin Roiland.” Both shows are expected to continue.

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A little more than a week after Justin Roiland, the co-creator, executive producer and star of Rick and Morty, appeared at a pre-trial hearing to face domestic violence charges, Adult Swim says it’s no longer working with him.

“Adult Swim has ended its association with Justin Roiland,” a rep for the network tells Yahoo Entertainment.

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She added that the animated hit would continue, and the show’s official Twitter account said the same.

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Yahoo Entertainment has reached out to Roiland’s lawyer for comment.

When news of the case broke, his attorney T. Edward Welbourn told Yahoo Entertainment: “It is hard to overstate how inaccurate the recent media coverage of this situation has been. To be clear, not only is Justin innocent but we also have every expectation that this matter is on course to be dismissed once the district attorney’s office has completed its methodical review of the evidence. We look forward to clearing Justin’s name and helping him move forward as swiftly as possible.”

"Rick and Morty" characters Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith, who are both voiced by Justin Roiland, pictured in the third season of the show. (Photo: Adult Swim/Courtesy: Everett Collection)“Rick and Morty” characters Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith, who are both voiced by Justin Roiland, pictured in the third season of the show. (Photo: Adult Swim/Courtesy: Everett Collection)

NBC News reported Jan. 12 that Roiland had been charged in May 2020 for an incident that occurred in January of that year in Orange County, Calif., involving an anonymous woman who Roiland was dating at the time. He later pleaded not guilty to one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury and one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud and/or deceit.

A protective order filed in October 2020 prohibited Roiland from harassing, threatening, surveilling or going within 100 feet of an unnamed person.

Plans for re-casting the show, which was co-created by Community mastermind Dan Harmon, are unknown; Roiland voiced both title characters. Rick and Morty had been granted an extraordinarily large renewal deal back in 2018 for 70 more episodes, and fewer than half of those have aired.

This story was originally published Jan. 24, 2023 at 6:40 p.m. ET.