It usually only takes a small chip in the paint to reveal the whole ugly picture hiding underneath. That’s been the case with multiple sexual predators in the entertainment industry in the Me Too era, and Rick and Morty‘s Justin Roiland isn’t the exception. A recent report adding to the stories — ranging from cringe to downright disturbing — has come out about the 42 year-old, including the time he apparently brought a porn star to the Rick and Morty writer’s room.
After being charged with domestic battery and false imprisonment, it didn’t take long for Roiland’s alleged dirty laundry to be aired by the people whom he had wronged over the years. Hyper sexual language in DMs to co-workers and creepy comments about minors in old podcasts are just two examples. The Hollywood Reporter published a new article Tuesday, which suggests the voice actor and writer had been carrying out questionable behavior for years prior to his recent downfall.
According to the outlet, several of Roiland’s workplace episodes had been making his colleagues uncomfortable for a long time. THR reports that multiple anonymous sources say the Rick and Morty and Solar Opposites co-creator once “paraded high-profile porn star” Riley Reid through the former’s writers room. He also brought around Kanye West and the guys from Impractical Jokers.
Other inappropriate conduct includes skipping meetings, drinking while on the job, and speaking openly about his sex life and the threesomes he was having with his girlfriend — comments which the THR insider describes as “disgusting,” saying they would just try to ignore them as much as possible. During the third season of Rick and Morty, Roiland reportedly sent a “really creepy” late-night text to one of the show’s female writers, inviting her to come over to his place.
He was also subject to a formal internal investigation in 2020, carried out by Cartoon Network. THR states that “it’s uncertain what, if any, actions were taken.”
Both Cartoon Network and Hulu have severed ties with Roiland, with Rick and Morty and Solar Opposites set to continue on without him. The writer and producer also resigned as CEO from his video game studio Squanch Games.