Roiland’s former fans and dates described disturbing interactions with the animator, with many playing out over texts. One woman said the ‘Rick and Morty’ creator sexually assaulted her, another said she was left ‘traumatized.’ (Warning: This article contains expclicit language.)

In the years following the 2013 debut of Adult Swim’s cartoon phenomenon “Rick and Morty,” its star and co-creator Justin Roiland became a titan of the animation and video game industry and a rock star of youth counterculture. His artistic style and caricatures became ubiquitous in cannabis culture, and his career expanded into producing other animated series, creating NFTs and leading a virtual reality gaming studio. In 2017, a “Rick and Morty” collaboration with McDonald’s led to such a viral frenzy that police had to be called to at least two locations.

But as he partied with Los Angeles’ superstars and traveled the country for conventions, he also found he could use his fame to strike up conversations and develop relationships with young fans, including some who were underage. This is according to interviews with 11 women and nonbinary people who shared thousands of messages with Roiland from 2013 to 2022 — with nine of the people saying he turned the exchanges sexual. Of those nine people, three said they were 16 when they started talking to Roiland. To corroborate their stories, the 11 women and nonbinary people also shared pictures, videos, social media posts, emails, and plane ticket and Uber receipts with NBC News.

Warning: Lengthy and graphic details

  • jpreston2005@lemmy.world
    24·
    1 year ago

    not gonna lie, after reading the article, there’s not a lot there. I understand that people can be put in positions where they feel like they “have” to say yes, but they literally don’t? I think this is more of a case like Louie C.K. These guys are likely autistic and lacking the ability to really clue in on social cues. Guys that have always been unattractive and lacking in attention from women, suddenly has all the attention of women! So they do dumb stuff, that they should have learned not to do when they were young, but again, nerds gonna nerd, and nerds have not always been celebrated like they are today. I think he just going through a slutty phase because he finally can. from his texts he doesn’t come off as a predator, but as a person who’s so used to being told “no,” that he doesn’t know what to do with himself or how to act once they started saying “yes.”

    • JdW@lemmy.world
      22·
      1 year ago

      I think this is more of a case like Louie C.K

      You tell me you say that the guy who literally waited for women in their dressingroom naked and started to masterbute as they walked in was just “lacking the ability to really clue in on social cues”.

      I don’t know anymore with these apologists like you. Are you trolling or really this misguided?

      • RagingRobot@lemmy.world
        11·
        1 year ago

        If I remember correctly he asked them first and wasn’t just in their room naked. They just felt they couldn’t say no because he was in a position of power.

        Although I think this is a little different because it involves children who may think they know what they are doing but don’t fully understand yet. So a little different

        • aetrix@lemmy.worldEnglish
          3·
          1 year ago

          I thought he invited the women to his room, and never tried to force them to show up or stay. I’m not trying to defend Louis, the most charitable thing you can say is that it was creepy and weird AF. But If there is more to it, this is the first I’m hearing of it.

    • TranscendentalEmpire@lemm.ee
      10·
      1 year ago

      These guys are likely autistic and lacking the ability to really clue in on social cues.

      My wife is autistic, that’s not how autism works. You may be bad at reading social ques, but that doesn’t mean you don’t understand rejection, or that you don’t understand that you shouldn’t be prowling for underaged women. Most of the times its just not picking up inflections of voice, or they don’t know if theyre reading people’s facial expressions correctly.

      So they do dumb stuff, that they should have learned not to do when they were young, but again, nerds gonna nerd, and nerds have not always been celebrated like they are today. I think he just going through a slutty phase

      Kinda sounds like youre equivocating powerful old dudes grooming kids to boys will be boys…

      his texts he doesn’t come off as a predator, but as a person who’s so used to being told “no,” that he doesn’t know what to do with himself or how to act once they started saying “yes.”

      The simple fact that he’s talking to several 16 year old about sex is predatory in and of it’s self.

      Maybe its because I’m closer to his age than most people on here, but the thought of chatting up anyone close to 16 years old is fucking gross. I have nothing in common with a sixteen year old girl, he has nothing in common with a sixteen year old girl.

      He just a gross asshole, and anyone who defends him because you like the same shitty played out subculture… is also a gross asshole.