Justin Roiland

Justin Roiland
Roiland at the Raleigh Supercon in July 2017
Born	Mark Justin Roiland (1980-02-21) February 21, 1980 Manteca, California, U.S.
Education	Modesto Junior College
Occupations	Voice actor animator writer producer director
Years active	2004–present

Mark Justin Roiland (born February 21, 1980) is an American voice actor, animator, writer, producer and director. He is best known as the co-creator of Adult Swim's animated sitcom Rick and Morty, for which he voiced the protagonists Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith, and as the co-creator of Hulu's Solar Opposites, in which he voiced the main character, Korvo, until both networks severed ties with him in 2023 respectively as a result of domestic abuse charges which were later dropped. He had also played Earl of Lemongrab on Adventure Time, Blendin Blandin on Gravity Falls, and Oscar on Fish Hooks. He founded the animation studio Justin Roiland's Solo Vanity Card Productions! and the video game studio Squanch Games, though he resigned from the latter in 2023.

Early life

Roiland was born and raised in Manteca, California. He attended Sierra High School up until the first quarter of his senior year and then transferred to Manteca High School for the remainder of his senior year, graduating in 1998. After high school, he attended Modesto Junior College in Modesto, California. Roiland is dyslexic. Roiland has claimed he was sexually assaulted by his cousin at age 7.

Career

Roiland in 2010

Roiland at the 2015 XOXO festival

Roiland got involved with Channel101, an L.A. media collective started by Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab, where he made and acted in numerous movie shorts (such as 2 Girls One Cup: The Show, House of Cosbys and a small role as musician Christopher Cross in the series Yacht Rock) and in the VH1 television show Acceptable TV. He appeared regularly on The Sarah Silverman Program on Comedy Central as "Blonde Craig". From 2010 to 2016, he co-hosted The Grandma's Virginity Podcast with future Rick and Morty writer, Ryan Ridley, and future Steven Universe producer, Jackie Buscarino.

In 2012, Adult Swim approached Harmon to produce a new animated series for their network. Harmon approached Roiland and together, they created Rick and Morty (based on Roiland's previous work for Channel 101, "The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti") which debuted in 2013 to widespread acclaim. The show quickly grew a fan community as audiences praised the show for its unique story telling and incorporation of science-fiction elements. Between 2013 and 2022, Roiland voiced Rick Sanchez and his grandson Morty Smith. In addition to the voice work, Roiland served as a co-writer and executive producer alongside Dan Harmon. By the end of season 1, Rick and Morty became one of the most successful shows Adult Swim ever produced. The success of the show spearheaded an entire franchise around it. Various themed merchandise have been produced and sold. In addition to the show, an app called "Pocket Mortys" was created. On August 25, 2016, Roiland launched virtual reality studio Squanchtendo, a portmanteau of the company Nintendo and Rick and Morty character Squanchy. It was later renamed to Squanch Games. Its first full-length title, Accounting+, made in collaboration with William Pugh's studio, was released for PSVR on December 19, 2017.

In January 2021, Roiland offered over a dozen artworks in his first NFT art collection, titled "The Best I Could Do". His highest-selling piece was by his Simpsons homage The Smintons, sold at $290,100. The collection sold for a total of $1.65 million. Roiland also sold his first painting, titled mypeoplefriend, via auction by Sotheby's in July 2021.

On October 31, 2022, Roiland released a generative NFT project named "Art Gobblers" with Paradigm Ventures.

Accusations of violence and abuse

In August 2020, Roiland was arrested and charged with felony domestic battery and false imprisonment in Orange County, California, in connection with an alleged incident in January 2020 involving an unnamed woman he was reportedly dating at the time. Roiland was released on bail, after pleading not guilty, and pre-trial was scheduled for April 27, 2023. Knowledge of these events was not public until NBC News reported on the matter in January 2023.

After the charges were announced, multiple people came forward with their own allegations of abuse by Roiland, including claims of predatory behavior towards minors. He sent a private message to musician Allie Goertz, who was at the time working on a Rick and Morty concept album, and said "Can you write a song about 9 Dick’s [sic] of different sized [sic] and ethnic origins hanging above your face, and then in the lyrics describe how they each splatter you with semen.” He was also accused of sexual harassment of a female writer in the third season of Rick & Morty, and other uncomfortable behavior in the workplace, with these claims formally investigated by Cartoon Network and Adult Swim in 2020.

Adult Swim announced later that month that Roiland had been dismissed from Rick and Morty, and that his roles would be recast for future seasons. Squanch Games affirmed that Roiland had resigned from the company on January 16, 2023, in the wake of the Adult Swim news. On January 25, 20th Television Animation confirmed that he had also been removed from Solar Opposites and Koala Man, which will also continue to be produced without his involvement.

In March 2023, the criminal charges against Roiland were dismissed due to insufficient evidence. He released a statement on social media saying he is "determined to move forward and focus both on my creative projects and restoring my good name". Following this announcement, his lawyer, T. Edward Welbourn, thanked the Orange County District Attorney's Office for "conducting a thorough review of the facts" and dismissing the case, adding that he was "thankful [that] justice has prevailed".

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

Video games

In August 2016, Roiland set up a video game studio, Squanchtendo, which was later renamed to Squanch Games in December 2017.

Awards and nominations

External links

• Justin Roiland at IMDb
• Justin Roiland on Twitter
• Justin Roiland on Instagram
• The Grandma's Virginity Podcast
• Cartoons, Comics, and stuff by Justin Roiland