Justin Roiland used ‘Rick And Morty’ fame to pursue young fans, text messages show

Fired Rick And Morty co-creator Justin Roiland used his fame to pursue young fans, according to text messages shared with NBC News.

The alleged text messages from 11 women and non-binary people between 2013 to 2022 suggested that Roiland engaged with young fans on dating apps and social media, calling them “hot”, asking their age, and in some cases asking to meet them.

Nine of the 11 women and non-binary individuals claimed that Roiland turned the exchanges sexual, with one 20-year-old woman alleging that he took her on a Tinder date before sexually assaulting her. In another instance, a 20-year-old woman accused Roiland of taking advantage of her while she was intoxicated.

Three of the 11 women interviewed by NBC, whose names were kept anonymous, said they were younger than 16 when they texted with Roiland, who is now 43.

Roiland’s attorney Andrew Brettler told NBC that the allegations were “false and defamatory”. NME has reached out for comment.

Fellow Rick And Morty co-creator Dan Harmon — who was also accused of sexual misconduct on the set of the NBC comedy Community, which he apologised for — has not yet commented on the allegations against Roiland.

Adult Swim “ended its association” with Roiland in January 2023 after allegations of domestic violence came to light. In March, he was cleared of the charges.

Roiland voiced Rick And Morty’s two lead characters among others, with the show’s seventh season currently in development without his involvement.

In addition to being fired by Adult Swim, Roiland was also dropped by Hulu, where he worked on shows Solar Opposites and Koala Man.

He later resigned from Squanch Games, the game development studio he co-founded in 2016, on January 16. The studio released High On Life in December last year.

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