After charges of domestic violence against “Rick and Morty” co-creator Justin Roiland were dropped on Wednesday, the writer and producer said he is “still deeply shaken by the horrible lies that were reported about me during this process” and that he is “disappointed” in friends and colleagues who believed the worst about him.
As Roiland wrote in a statement shared to Twitter, “I have always known that these claims were false – and I never had any doubt that this day would come.” While he said he was thankful that the case has been dismissed, he wrote, “Most of all, I am deeply disappointed that so many people were so quick to judge without knowing the facts, based solely on the word of an embittered ex trying to bypass due justice and have me ‘canceled.’”
Adult Swim, 20th TV Animation, and Hulu Originals cut ties with Roiland in January after the charges were filed. They included one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury and one felony count of false imprisonment. An anonymous Jane Doe, who was who was an intimate partner of Roiland’s at the time, said in her criminal complaint that the alleged encounter happened on or around Jan. 19, 2020.
“We dismissed the charges today as a result of having insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt,” Kimberly Edds, a spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney’s office, said in a statement Wednesday.
Besides “Rick and Morty,” Roiland co-created the Hulu animated series “Solar Opposites” and was the executive producer on “Koala Man.” Both shows have continued without Roiland’s involvement.
Read Roiland’s complete statement below.