Justin Roiland dropped from two more TV shows after domestic abuse charges | Animation on TV
Written by on January 26, 2023
Justin Roiland has been dropped from two more animated shows, Solar Opposites and Koala Man, after being charged with felony domestic violence against a former girlfriend, a day after he was dropped from hit series Rick and Morty.
US network Hulu announced on Wednesday that it had “ended our association with Justin Roiland”, a day after Rick and Morty distributor Adult Swim released a similar statement saying he would no longer voice the titular characters or work as showrunnner.
The 42-year-old has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial after being charged with corporal injury and false imprisonment by menace, fraud, violence or deceit in Orange County. The charges relate to a 2020 incident against an unidentified woman Roiland was living with and dating at the time.
In a statement earlier this month, Roiland’s attorney T Edward Welbourn said: “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.”
All three shows will continue without his involvement.
Roiland was co-creator, executive producer and voice of the main character, Korvo, on Solar Opposites, an animated comedy about a family of aliens who crash-land in the US.
Season four had been anticipated to be released this year, but whether Korvo will be recast ahead of it airing remains to be seen.
The first season of the recently launched Koala Man, an Australian American animated comedy about a suburban dad’s superhero alter ego, was executive produced by Roiland, who also voiced a guest character.
Both Koala Man and Solar Opposites are shown on Hulu in the US and on Disney+ in the UK and Australia. All were produced with Roiland’s animation studio, Justin Roiland’s Solo Vanity Card Productions.
Video game studio Squanch Games, which Roiland co-founded, also announced that Roiland had resigned from the company on 16 January, four days after the domestic abuse charges emerged. The studio’s first game, High on Life, was created by Roiland and has been a huge hit on Xbox.
“The passionate team at Squanch will keep developing games we know our fans will love while continuing to support and improve High On Life,” the studio said in a statement.
