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
“Young” could be misinterpreted as 18. “Underage” is the right word.
Yeah, this story needs way more precision than it has.
“Were 16 when they started texting him”. Ok, well how old were they written the allegations occurred, and what is he alleged to have done?
Literally in the second paragraph of the article and the summary at the top of this post.
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.
The article then goes on to discuss his conversations with underage fans. The article uses “young” because his conversations with of-age but teenaged fans were also bad.
Talking about the title
I think you must have missed their last sentence. The title uses young because it wasn’t just underaged girls he was texting, and texting the 18 and 19 year olds at his age is also a pretty bad look.
“Underage” in which locale, and for what? If you’re referring to age of consent, 16 isn’t underage in most places, as it shouldn’t be.
Fuck off pedo
What makes you right and a lot of the rest of the world wrong? Why is 18 the right number instead of 16?
I’m not arguing with a pedo
From the article, really buried: “Roiland usually asked people how old they were, if they were single, and if they were “into girls.” In three cases, when the person said they were under 18, Roiland would message them again months or years later. Those three conversations started with people who said they were 16 at the time, and continued for years, until they were 18 and older.”
After reading the whole article it doesn’t seem like he did anything sexual with anyone under 18. My takeaway is that he’s a creep, abuses his fame and power (part of a big club there), he’s manipulative, and he plies underage people with alcohol to get them to sleep with him, but it appears he’s not a pedo. Or at least smart enough not to get caught.
Not a pedo, just a regular rapist. Talk about low bars.
Don’t mistake my comment as a defense of him as a person. He’s been accused of domestic violence, forced oral sex, and taking advantage of intoxicated women under the drinking age. Despite him getting off on the DV charge, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. He’s obviously a pretty terrible human being.
I just don’t like people throwing around ‘pedo’ unjustly, because it waters it down and takes away the impact when used against even worse monsters.
Even the “forced” oral sex seems really suspect.
But he should have been able to read the situation as well as anyone. If she seems to be setting a trap, maybe don’t fall for it?
Either way, the dude seems to be tiptoeing around the borders laws that nobody should be near. Dude’s sitting and watching the clock for when his prey turns 18. Even if he might comply with the letter of the law, he’s clearly violating the spirit.
16 is not prepubescent which is what pedo is there is another term for teens but i forgot.
Ephebophilia I believe. He’s also a groomer, how fun…
Libertarian?
The only people who care about this distinction are pedophiles / whatever that term is.
The term is “ephebophilia”
Now you’ve read my comment
Now you know what that term is
Now you’re a pedophile
It’s that easy! See you in Thailand!
I said people who care about the distinction, not people who know the term
lol whatever pedo
This is textbook grooming
“Hey how old are you?”
- “16”
(ends conversation)
That’s not grooming.
Except he didn’t end the conversation. Read the article, fuckwit
You kiss your daddy with that mouth?
Only below the waist
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According to the screenshots shared by Twitter user @/MartyAmericaUSA, Roiland asked the minor to run away from school and go into “sx slavery.” He also allegedly addressed her as a “ft btch,” called her “jailbait,” and said she would go into “cam w*ing” once she turns 18.
A Facebook user called Janna Waters also claimed that Roiland texted on Twitter when she was 16 and called her “insanely hot.” The user also alleged that the Rick and Morty co-creator allegedly had a “predatory scout” named Christy who used to find “young girls who looked a certain way” for the creator.
No, dude’s a pedo. “Starting the conversation” with someone who’s underage then waiting til 5 minutes after their 18th birthday to make a move doesn’t make you not a pedo, it makes you a pedo who doesn’t want to go to prison. Even then, there are at least two documented cases where he didn’t wait. Because he’s a pedo.
No he’s a pedo that just barely skirts the law so he doesn’t get gang raped in prison.
You say he abuses his fame and power. I don’t really see and power accept money and fame. If people are attracted to fame and power, then why should he not be allowed to use his? Why is that different than a woman who shows off her breasts to get a date?
You don’t see why unbalanced power dynamics lead to abusive situations?
So you are saying that all golddiggers are automatically victims now because there is an ‘unbalanced power dynamic’?
Yes, that’s what OP is saying.
So now I have to feel sorry for girls who choose to only date old millionaires? Crazy…
Welcome to 2023. Accountability went out in the 90s.
Man, why’d he have to be such a fuckin’ gross creep? Why couldn’t he just have been creative and weird and depressed?
If you add funny to that list you get Dan Harmon.
Dan Harmon was super problematic in his own way. His difference was he apologized to the people he wronged in a way that they accepted, and seems to have changed his behavior. His change in behavior seems to be part of what left Justin out to dry as Dan no longer came to work intoxicated, but Roiland just kept doing it.
Well the subtype of funny that Rolland had (and Harmon still has to a degree) had was from being creative and weird and sad. Smart, dark, absurdist, existentialist humor. I think that’s a pretty reasonable way to roll it up.
Edit: crossed the names up, derp
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Lmao
Glad to see more reporting on this. The way they swapped out Roiland’s voice in Solar Opposites was absolutely perfect, it really hasn’t lost anything imo.
I still fucking laugh thinking about it.
It was so unexpected for me that they would make a change to a hoity British accent and just run with it like nothing happened.
Brilliantly handled. I’m actually looking forward to how they are going to make the change for Rick and Morty now.
Maybe a cockney British accent. Oi Mor-y iss time for nother venture get in da car cunt.
It’s an adventyah, innit?
What the the hell was that supposed to be? It sure as hell isn’t cockney. There’s not one bit of rhyming slang in there.
Not just any hoity British accent, that’s Dan Stevens. Main character in Legion if you’ve seen that show.
They’ve said that they’re using soundalikes for R&M, so no British Rick.
“This is what my voice sounds like now. I don’t care if it’s jarring, get over it. And that Voice Changer Ray had chronotons in it, so this is what I’m gonna sound like in flashbacks too. You got a problem with that? Then tough shit, it’s called science!”
Fucking disgusting, I will never understand people like this.
That’s a man in a position of power
What a cringe lord.
Imagine being so lucky that you become a household name off of animation of all things but then deciding to do exactly what John K did. At least Rick and Morty won’t go the way of Ren and Stimpy. Not yet, anyway.
The summary did that thing like when FBI agents find a 800 TB harddrive containing a possibly CSAM photo and the media says they found 800 TB of CSAM.
Did he take a conversation with a sub-18 year old to a sexual place? (or not excuse himself from an email gone sexual with someone under age?) I literally mean yes he did take it sexual or no he did not take it sexual or It was not clear from the messages.
There is a difference from acknowledging sex is a thing and propositioning a teenager for sex, but at this point, I don’t care. If you are a man or a woman, etc., just devalue the experience of younger people and don’t talk to them. They’ll be fine with it eventually.
I just assume anyone remotely famous is some kind of foul person behind the scenes.
😭
Oof.
I’ve seen your secret plans for a space station capable of destroying entire planets, Margot Robbie! It’s bad engineering and is going to get a ton of your workers and soldiers killed!
That’s Academy Award nominated character actress/part time Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Margot to you!
Yes, the use of the Mass Shadow Generator on Malachor V was necessary to end the Mandalorian War once and for all, and no, I refuse to elaborate further.
Bodied lmao
High positions of power/money/fame tend to attract those types unfortunately.
I just watched a great documentary on YouTube about Ren and Stimpy and it’s fucking sad how similar the story with John K is as well. I should think there’s some obvious lessons about not giving immature manbabies unlimited power in here, but it’d be nice if somebody actually learned them!
He knew he could take advantage of the fans. What an ass.
Danny Masterton 2.0.
Also, John Kricfalusi 2.0.
I don’t think so. Masterson seems like straight up rape. Roiland seems like a creep. Maybe a groomer, but I don’t know if it’s worth watering down the really horrendous groomers.
He’s a creep who regularly took advantage of his fame to manipulate young women into sex. And it looks like in at least one the manipulation went both ways.
He deserves to be fired. He deserves to be known as a creep.
No fucking shit what do you these writers think celebrities have been doing since the silver screen came out.
One last people for the shlubs in the fucking back.
This Country Runs On Money And Power Period.
And before that it was, being of a certain “status” with power and wealth.
This is so QAnon-adjacent as to be laughable
Cute attempt at a gaslight, rich people don’t spend as long in jail as compared to the rest of the world, if they even get time and not just a slap on the wrist that’s facts not some bullshit pizza parlor copy pasta.
Great job standing up for criminals.
The elites aren’t drinking kids blood.
Nobody said they were, you’re reeeeeally bad at gaslighting and should probably take up another hobby
This is not what gaslighting is. Words have actual meanings.
You continue to dodge the point, which is that the rich do not receive the equal and just punishment.
You continue to press strawman points but because you chose to target QAnon nut jobs, I made that very reasonable jump.
Best of luck with your Bobert jerk sesh, sycophant.
It’s wrong to kink-shame. I didn’t kink-shame you over your conspiracy theories. I just informed you that they’re nonsense.
Yeah. It’s kind of gross, but whole genres of porn are barely legal 18-20 year olds. Sounds like that’s what he’s into. And he went about it in a very creepy way unlike Leonardo DiCaprio that uses the prestige of the model and hollywood industry.
Sounds like he is into 16 years olds to me.
Yeah, but it sounds like he waited until they are 18.
Oh, so it’s OK then 👎
Legally, yes.
That doesn’t make it much better…
Well it makes it legal. So that’s empirically better.
Well obviously it’s better legally. It’s pretty terrible from a moral standpoint though.
Legal is significantly better than illegal
Did you read what I wrote below?
No I read what you wrote above.
Having read the below now, I do agree with this
Well obviously it’s better legally. It’s pretty terrible from a moral standpoint though.
Fucking an adult, and a teenager are not the same thing.
Yeah. Fucking a 18 year old that is pretending to be 15 is creepy, not criminal.
If they are 18 or 19 it is the same thing.
What mentality do you think someone who only chases 18 year old girls has? If the age of consent was lower, they’d go lower.
But it’s not lower and he didn’t go lower. I think he’s a creep. Just not sure he’s technically a pedophile or doing anything super illegal based on the article. And being into 18 year olds isn’t that out there. Just look at porn, strip clubs, the model industry, film industry etc… Also, not sure if he only chases 18 year olds. That was just the topic of the article about the 18/early 20s.
