What Happened to Rick and Morty's Justin Roiland & What Is He Doing Now?

In early 2023, serious charges were brought against Justin Roiland, one of the creators of Rick and Morty. The crime he was accused of, according to the victim, was committed in 2020.

At the time, he was arrested on charges of assault and false imprisonment. Simply put, he may have beaten his ex-girlfriend and prevented her from leaving the house. Justin Roiland himself did not admit guilt – the preliminary hearing in the case took place on January 12, the screenwriter faced up to seven years in prison. However, all charges in the case were later dropped.

Charges Dropped, But New Allegations Against Roiland Surfaced

Roiland might have continued to work as if nothing had happened, had not new accusations from his acquaintances and colleagues immediately surfaced, completely destroying his already tarnished reputation.

According to the allegations, Roiland wrote inappropriate messages to minors, mistreated subordinates, drank heavily and did little work.

The backlash was immediate. Adult Swim, Disney, 20th Television, and even his own video game studio, Squanch Games, cut ties with him. Roiland's career was over, and he has yet to recover from the allegations.

Will Roiland Return to Rick Morty & Other Projects?

Will Roiland return to work? A similar situation happened with Johnny Depp and Ezra Miller. It seemed that Ezra was finally canceled and major studios would never offer him a role again, but the scandal died down a bit and The Flash became one of the most anticipated movies (which still flopped). Perhaps Roiland will return to Rick and Morty in a few years?

Here comes the main detail that will probably play a decisive role in the disgraced author's fate – money. It was not profitable to kick Miller out of the half-filmed The Flash; Pirates of the Caribbean is based on Jack Sparrow – Depp may well return. And Rick and Morty has already moved forward without Roiland.

So it is quite possible that even if everyone forgets about the allegations, Roiland will still not be able to return to work on his brainchild. But despite his disgusting behavior and possible crimes, he remains a talented writer. Case in point: High on Life, which became the biggest Xbox Game Pass hit of all time without any Rick and Morty tie-ins. Perhaps Justin Roiland will create something new.