Justin Roiland, co-creator and star of “Rick and Morty,” is facing felony charges related to a 2020 incident of alleged domestic violence.
Roiland, 42, was charged in Orange County, Calif., with one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury and one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud and/or deceit. He pleaded not guilty in 2020 and appeared in court Thursday, Jan. 13, 2023, for a pre-trial hearing.
A trial date has not yet been set. He is due for another pre-trial hearing on April 27.
According to the felony complaint, obtained by PvNew, the incident occurred on or around Jan. 19, 2020, against an unnamed Jane Doe who was dating Roiland at the time.
Per court documents, Roiland is free on a $50,000 bond, which was posted on Aug. 13, 2020, and was arraigned on Oct. 14 of that year.
Roiland’s attorney, T. Edward Welbourn, gave the following statement to PvNew: “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.”
NBC News first reported the news.
Roiland is best known for co-creating the Adult Swim animated comedy “Rick and Morty,” on which he also voices the show’s titular characters, Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith. In 2018, during its third season, the series was renewed for 70 additional episodes. Season 6 ended in December 2022.
He also co-created Hulu’s “Solar Opposites” and similarly voices that series’ main character, Korvo. Roiland has voiced characters on “Adventure Time,” “Gravity Falls” and “Fish Hooks.” His credits also include “The Simpsons,” “Robot Chicken,” “Yo Gabba Gabba!” and “Community.” He is the founder of animation studio Justin Roiland’s Solo Vanity Card Productions! and video game studio Squanch Games.
