Elon Musk’s Latest Bad Decision? Defending ‘Rick and Morty’ Creator Justin Roiland

Elon Musk is protesting the firing of Justin Roiland, the Rick and Morty co-creator who has been dropped by both Adult Swim and Hulu over his domestic violence charges. Musk reacted to Roiland’s dismissal on Twitter (of course), where he responded to another user laughing at Rick and Morty‘s decision to carry on without Roiland.
Tim Pool tweeted, “how lol,” adding, “justin is rick *and* morty” after the official Rick and Morty account shared on Twitter yesterday that Adult Swim had cut ties with Roiland, while confirming the show was moving forward without him. Roiland not only co-created Rick and Morty with Dan Harmon, but also voiced both Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith.
Musk spotted Pool’s tweet and added his own commentary, proclaiming Roiland “is also the heart of the show.”

Musk isn’t just another Rick and Morty fan — viewers will remember that the entrepreneur also appeared in the 2019 episode “One Crew over the Crewcoo’s Morty” in which he voiced the character Elon Tusk, friend to Rick and the CEO of a company called Tuskla. His character closely mirrors the real Musk, with the glaring exception of the large tusks on his face.

News of Roiland’s firing from Adult Swim broke yesterday, just weeks after NBC News first reported the television creator had been charged with felony domestic violence in Orange County, Calif. A criminal complaint filed in May 2020 by the Orange County District Attorney and obtained by NBC News states that Roiland has been charged with one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury and one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud and/or deceit.

Roiland, who pleaded not guilty, faces the charges in connection to a 2020 incident with an anonymous Jane Doe whom he was dating at the time.

While Roiland is no longer involved in Rick and Morty, the show will re-cast the characters he voiced and will move ahead with Harmon as sole showrunner. Adult Swim renewed the animated comedy through Season 10; Season 7 is currently in production.
Roiland’s other projects at Hulu, including series Solar Opposites and Koala Man, will continue without his involvement, a rep confirmed to Decider.

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic abuse, help is available. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788.