Hulu drops 'Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland from sitcoms "Solar Opposites" and "Koala Man" due to domestic violence charges
Jan 26, 2023
Washington [US], January 26 : The OTT platform Hulu has dropped Justin Roiland from animated sitcoms "Solar Opposites" and "Koala Man" after the star and a co-creator of the animated series 'Rick and Morty' faced domestic violence charges, reported Variety.
"We have ended our association with Justin Roiland," 20th Television Animation and Hulu Originals told Variety in a statement.
Both "Solar Opposites" and "Koala Man" will continue without Roiland's involvement, it said.
Earlier, Adult Swim announced that it has cut ties with the star and a co-creator of the animated series 'Rick and Morty', Justin Roiland due to domestic violence charges.
Roiland 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 or deceit.
The incident occurred on or around Jan. 19, 2020, against an unnamed Jane Doe who was dating Roiland at the time, according to the felony complaint obtained by Variety. Roiland pleaded not guilty in 2020 and appeared in court on Jan. 13, 2023, for a pre-trial hearing. A trial date has not yet been fixed, and he is due for another hearing on April 27.
Roiland co-created the animated sci-fi comedy "Solar Opposites" with Mike McMahan, and Hulu released the first season in 2020. In addition to executive producing, Roiland voiced the main character, Korvo. Before the Roiland news, Season 4 had been expected to release in 2023, and the show had already been renewed for Season 5, reported by Variety.
Hulu also recently released "Koala Man," an Australian American animated comedy, on Jan. 9. Roiland was the executive producer of the series and voiced a guest character in the first season. "Koala Man," "Solar Opposites" and "Rick and Morty" are all produced with Roiland's animation studio, Justin Roiland's Solo Vanity Card Productions.
The video game studio Squanch Games, which Roiland co-founded, also announced on Jan. 24 that Roiland had resigned from the company as of Jan. 16.
