Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon hasn’t spoken to Justin Roiland since 2019
According to Dan Harmon, the last time he spoke to his Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland was in 2019 via text message. The executive producer described the conversation in a profile with as “unprecedentedly confrontational.” The Hollywood Reporter.
In addition, Harmon has spoken out for the first time about the allegations against his co-creator. “I would feel so safe and comfortable saying that about myself, but this trick here is worthless and dangerous to others,” Harmon said. “Other people’s safety and comfort were damaged while I was obsessed with the quality of a cartoon. The trust between countless people and a show they are supposed to enjoy has now been violated. I am frustrated, ashamed and heartbroken that so much hard work, joy and passion can be used to exploit and harm strangers.”
The profile documents the rift between the two co-creators that occurred around the second season of the sci-fi comedy. As “Rick and Morty” grew in popularity after Season 2, Harmon brought in his own writers, many of whom had previously worked with him on “Community.” In his words, the goal in hiring these writers was to make them “get lazier and lazier and not show up for work.” Instead, Roiland saw it as Harmon trying to outdo the show they had created together.
Harmon claims their last text conversation brought him to tears. “He said things about dissatisfaction that he had never said before,” Harmon said in the article. Out of respect for Roiland’s side of their relationship, he then refused to reveal more.
For similar reasons, Harmon initially remained silent about the sexual misconduct allegations against Roliand. In January, NBC News reported that Roiland had been charged with assault and false imprisonment in 2020 I reported on it this month Roiland used his “Rick and Morty” fame to harass and sexually assault fans, Harmon changed his tune.
The profile also shows that Harmon remained largely uninvolved in the hiring of Roiland’s replacement speakers, describing the process as “just sad.”
Shortly after NBC News’ initial report, Adult Swim cut ties with Roiland and announced that he would be replaced in the future on “Rick and Morty” by voice actors who resemble a similar sound. Although the names of these actors have not yet been announced, their work can be heard in the first trailer for the seventh season of Rick and Morty.
Warner Bros. Discovery wasn’t the only company to cut ties with Roiland or even replace him as a voice actor. Hulu and 20th Television Animation — the companies behind “Solar Opposites” and “Koala Man” — have both dropped Roiland, as has Squanch Games, the video game company he co-founded. Additionally, Solar Opposites replaced the voice of Korvo, a character originally voiced by Roiland, with Dan Stevens.