2y ago

Justin Roiland used his ‘Rick and Morty’ fame to pursue young fans, text messages show

www.nbcnews.com

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.

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2y ago

Justin Roiland used his ‘Rick and Morty’ fame to pursue young fans, text messages show

www.nbcnews.com /tech/internet/justin-roiland-rick-morty-fame-pursue-young-fans-rcna102729

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2y ago

Justin Roiland used his ‘Rick and Morty’ fame to pursue young fans, text messages show

www.nbcnews.com /tech/internet/justin-roiland-rick-morty-fame-pursue-young-fans-rcna102729

241 comments

"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?
  
  The imprecision is by design. Modern journalism is trash.
  
  Seems like he waited until they were 18 before meeting them, although he would send sexually-charged texts to women as young as 16.
  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.
  
  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AgesofconsentintheUnitedStates
- 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.
  
  The fact that these women and enby folks were underage is like the most important part of the story. Calling underage girls "young" and not correctly calling them underage in the title of the story is called burying the lede.
  Justin Roiland used his ‘Rick and Morty’ fame to pursue young and underage fans, text messages show would have been a better title.
  
  Talking about the title
- Still creepy if not illegal at just above 18. Turns out he was more than just creepy though.
- "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
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.
- This is textbook grooming
  
  "Hey how old are you?"
  "16"
  (ends conversation)
  That's not grooming.
- https://www.sportskeeda.com/amp/pop-culture/who-allie-goertz-justin-roiland-underage-girls-dm-screenshots-surface-wake-musician-s-accusations
  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?
  
  I don't really get the people that bitching about using their fame to get laid either. Are we only allowed to date within our own social class? If they're being coercive, yea, that's a problem but it's possible to have a relationship without coercion.
  I'm not defending this dude but the problem with him was that he was pursuing minors not that he was famous and successful.
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
- Lmao
Aww geez, Rick.
This really has me wondering how many people are doing the same thing but haven't been caught.
- A person who otherwise wouldn't be noticed suddenly getting attention they never received thrown at them can easily abuse it if they don't control their behavior with a moral compass, which is becoming less and less a priority. When something feels good, many indulge. When you overindulge, you justify. When you get good at justifying, you can make anything okay in your head. If you don't have a line drawn, it's wild how far people will go... he went way too far and he should endure the consequences.
  
  I think getting to be super famous is much easier if you have no moral compass to begin with.
  
  I contend it's not that it's less of a priority but rather we're (as a society) getting better at collecting evidence, identifying un aceptable behaviour, and taking people seriously when they present an accusation. I firmly believe humans have done and do worse all the time.
- Everyone is doing that. That's the whole point of being famous.
  
  Women DM famous people all the time and randomly fuck them. I personally some that have done it. They are just like meet me at this hotel.
- You're only just now wondering this?!
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.
  
  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!"
  
  Wait, he was voiced by Roland? I thought they were just taking a shot at Roland and Rick and Morty, that's 10x funnier
Grooming is more than just convincing a minor to not tell their parents.
The actual definition is grooming a minor for a later sexual relationship (not fully restricted to them still being a minor)
As with any scummy/horrible behavior, there are levels of scum/horribleness.
Fucking disgusting, I will never understand people like this.
- That's a man in a position of power
  
  There are plenty of men in positions of power that don’t abuse minors.
What a cringe lord.
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!
  
  Bodied lmao
- No, Paul Rudd, nooo! You're too pure!
- High positions of power/money/fame tend to attract those types unfortunately.
  
  And gradually create them too.
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.
He knew he could take advantage of the fans. What an ass.
Didn't this story already come out like a year ago? Adult swim fired him
- that story was to do with him being charged with assault and unlawful imprisonment
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!
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 never liked him much, but I had no idea he was a pedo.
- According to the article he would text underage women but would refuse to meet them until they were 18. Seems like he was operating within the law.
  
  That's called grooming, it's arguably worse.
  
  Wow. You think that's actually defensible?
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.
JFC, you know it's bad when you use GPT to summarize the article and it thinks you are violating policy.
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.
- Yeah, but it sounds like he waited until they are 18.
- 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.
Whys it talking about 11 people? The hell are the other 8 alleging?
- This is journalism
Something about people in power or fame that brings out the worst in people. Hope this dude rots in prison and goes broke.
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."
- 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?
  
  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
  
  Can you cite where CK was accused of that? I'm not saying it didn't happen, but most of what I saw indicted he asked but the woment felt like they had to say yes.
- That doesn't excuse the underage thing.
- 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.
- If I did what I did as a kid now I would find myself an asshole
- You're joking... right?
UNACCEPTABLE!
Have fun in prison, creep
- What is the crime?
  
  Well, the worst crime alleged in the article is rape.
  
  Statutory rape at best, and pedophilia/rape or SA at worst.
  He lives in California. You're citing wiki articles about age of consent laws in other states when the only states law that matters is where he resides and where the assaults allegedly took place. Allegations seem to mostly or all take place in California. Showing the age of consent and statutory rape laws of Ohio mean nothing in CA.
  In CA, age of consent is 18. Some of the women and people were 16. So he is a pedophile.
he's insane in the membrane.
He is not the first nor is he the last pedo using power who is hiding in plain sight in the animation industry. Bring them all down.
- The article says that he waited until they were 18. While I don't condone his using his celebrity / wealth / power to coerce young women / people into sexual scenarios, he doesn't appear to be a pedo. Stop diluting the meaning of the word.
  
  Pedopologist
- Hopefully false but plausible so if it is false this might be slander or libel.
  
  I mean, he literally drew a kid sucking an old man's cock.
  "Plausible" is an understatement
Text messages in this Misinformation age are worth shit. Videos can be fake, where not even professionals can tell the difference and AI is on the rise. All legal charges against him where dropped and the accusators admitted that they made it up.
- The domestic violence charges against him brought forth by his ex were dropped, the accusations of child abuse and assault have not be dropped and are currently ongoing. As far as I can tell no one has said that they "made it up," including his ex. The domestic violence charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence, which can be hard to prove 3 years after the fact, when he was acquitted. If you have anything to show something contrary, I'll gladly read it, but if you don't, please don't add your voice to the "misinformation age."
- What about the plan tickets and the receipts ?
  
  What about no evidence that he did something illegal? He can fly where the fuck and buy and sleep where he wants. That's no evidence of anything.
Even cartoons are not safe from enshitification. Creatures bait-and-switch us from free-thinking counter-cultural rebels to sex offenders who are every bit as corrupt as the old status quo we thought they were an antidote to.
- Being a primarily comedy show, this is very understandable and common. People like different things and different things make us laugh, it's not like we can control it. It doesn't say anything about you. I like Rick and Morty, and I even like Friends. I don't like the office, Seinfeld or Arrested development. So what
  
  Gotta be careful letting your nuance show on the internet. Most people don't care for it.
- Show is great and unique on top of being commercially successful. You are yelling at clouds.
- It is, but Roiland has very little to do with it aside from voices.
- Be careful, we may not be on reddit but there's a lot of R&M fans from reddit on here
- I agree. Tried getting into it but I just can't stand Rick.
  
  That's kind of the point. Rick is like Walter White in Breaking Bad.
- I believe they already replaced his voice actor for Solar Opposites and we don't yet know how they are going to go with R&M. There were some pretty good impersonators so they could easily keep the voice the same or they could change it completely.
What a truly stupid article.
- Darn right! I sure didn’t need an article to tell me Justin Rolland was a child groomer, I could’ve guessed that.
I'm gonna get downvoted for this, but it's always funny to me how modern society "forgets" that men are literally biologically programmed to be attracted to girls are soon as they start looking "old enough".
And guess what, that doesn't magically happen when they turn 18, it often happens at a younger age.
And no, that doesn't mean men should flirt with and date young girls. I'm just trying to say it's biology. It's science. Facts even.
- You’re getting downvoted because it’s irrelevant and honestly quite creepy to bring up. There’s plenty of shit people did in the distant and not so distant past that isn’t ok today because we now know better.
  
  Rockstars would literally brag about shagging a high schooler. Different times and vibes. We know better now that it's predatory and we should move forward advancing society with that knowledge.
  
  In addition he's getting downvoted because this is fucking sexist bullshit. In non-sexually repressive environments most kids get sexually attracted to other kids irrespective of their gender fairly early. Arguably girls might get there a couple of years earlier, arguably. And so throughout the gender spectrum people don't fuck despite their attraction because they have heads on their shoulders as you rightfully point out.
- This guy right here, officer.
- You do realize people have the ability to not act upon every urge right
  So who cares? You've got a brain for a reason
- Yo, so why am I attracted to 30's-ish taller women with bush and armpit hair that also look like they could crush my bones?
  Don't start pulling biologically programmed out your ass when describing your own tastes.
- I think there's too much sexual supression, especially through religion. The 2nd largest serial killer in the world was a paedo because he knew he liked boys at a young age but due to Christianity having a big emphasis on don't be gay, he suppressed those urges and they came back out later in life, except he was still attracted to the boys at the age he realized he was gay.
  Girls can look "cute" but if you're well integrated into society in the first place, you can find them attractive, but not sexually attractive if that makes sense.
  
  I think there is too much sexual suppression in the US. Here in Denmark the age of consent is 15, and I honestly think it is a much safer place for my daughter than the US.

241 comments