Rick and Morty voice actor Justin Roiland faces allegations of s*xual misconduct and inappropriate behavior

Justin Roiland rose to prominence in the animation and video game industries as well as in the counterculture in the years that followed Rick and Morty's 2013 premiere on Adult Swim. His illustrations and caricatures were widely used, and his career grew to include the creation of NFTs, other animated series, and the leadership of a virtual reality game studio.

Disclaimer: This article concerns references to s*xual misconduct and mature themes. Readers' discretion is advised.

However, it has recently been revealed that the video game creator engaged in inappropriate conversations with young fans of his, many of whom were underage.

According to interviews with NBC News, 11 women and nonbinary people exchanged thousands of texts with Roiland between 2013 and 2022, where nine of them revealed that he turned the conversations towards a s*xual direction. Three of the nine individuals who spoke with Roiland claimed to be 16 years old at the time of their conversations.

On social media and dating apps, Roiland allegedly followed and interacted with a large number of admirers. He is now accused of abusing the parasocial bond he had with Rick and Morty viewers as the show's voice actor and creator. Roiland is said to have complimented them by calling them "super cute" or "hot" and inquiring about their ages, places of origin, and availability of s*xually explicit images of them.

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A deep dive into the allegations against Justin Roiland

Justin Roiland (Image via Getty)

In the interviews conducted by NBC News, numerous women have detailed their own instances of s*xual misconduct involving Justin Roiland.

Among the numerous shocking revelations that were made in these interviews, one of the ladies who went on a Tinder date with Roiland claimed that he s*xually assaulted her after she declined to engage in oral s*x with him.

Another lady Roiland invited to stay with him in Los Angeles claimed that she first got in touch with him when she was 19 after he praised her Rick and Morty artwork on Twitter. She claimed that she was severely inebriated when Roiland and another woman engaged in s*xual activity with her. She also claimed that she thought he used her, adding that the event "definitely was traumatic."

Another alarming and troubling claim included grooming young females. Roiland allegedly spoke with two 16-year-old females via text, where he allegedly called the girls "jailbait." After one of the girls expressed an interest in live-streaming herself while playing video games, Roiland allegedly added, "I bet you'd do good," adding, "Then once you turn 18, you just start cam wh*ring," a reference to women who perform recorded camera s*x labor.

In the texts made available to NBC, Justin Roiland apparently inquired about one of the women's well-being after she allegedly felt compelled to engage in oral s*x with him. Reiterating his previous message, he texted her continuously till she replied that she didn't feel comfortable with what had happened.

Roiland's attorney responded to the accusations by calling them "false and defamatory."

However, this isn't the first time Roiland has been accused of s*xual misconduct, having faced the same charges in January when screenshots were revealed online that Roiland had allegedly had unsettling talks with a youngster. In some of those texts, Justin Roiland is shown hurling insults and telling the 16-year-old to go to a "s*x slavery" before concluding with "just kidding."

Following the allegations, Justin Roiland was fired from Adult Swim's Rick and Morty. However, the case against him was dismissed in March 2023 and Roiland pleaded not guilty.