Rick and Morty Creator Says Fans Have Accepted Its New Voice Actors

Rick and Morty made a massive change behind the scenes with new voice actors joining the series ahead of Season 7’s premiere, and series co-creator Dan Harmon says fans can’t tell the difference! Rick and Morty Season 7 premiered last Fall, but before that it was announced that Adult Swim would be parting ways with series co-creator and former voice actor behind the titular duo, Justin Roiland. Following the debut of the new season’s premiere, Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden were then announced as the new voice actors behind the roles for the new episodes and beyond. 

It’s been quite some time since the new actors made their debut, and Rick and Morty fans seemed all around satisfied with the changes. The new stars mirrored the already in place voices (and even many of the vocal ticks) as close as they could while offering a bit of new flavor. For the audience at large, Rick and Morty didn’t go through that dramatic of a chance. As explained by co-creator Dan Harmon in an interview with Variety, that was actually the goal they had in mind, “…millions of people who don’t want this show disrupted. Which is a noble and worthwhile and very healthy goal. I think we accomplished that. And I’m very proud and grateful that’s how it panned out.”

Rick and Morty Creator Speaks Out on New Actors

In speaking about the casting process, Harmon revealed that he joined it much later in the process. All the while, the main goal was to not disrupt the show, “This is not about me. This is not about cultural wars. And this isn’t about my reputation. It’s not about my friendships. This has nothing to do with me, except for the fact that I’m uniquely qualified to contribute to this process. What this has to do with is, a living breathing character — two of them — and millions of people who don’t want this show disrupted. Which is a noble and worthwhile and very healthy goal. I think we accomplished that. And I’m very proud and grateful that’s how it panned out.”

When asked whether or not he believes that fans have accepted the new voices, Harmon believes the team has accomplished that goal, “That’s my perception. That the goal was accomplished or those that wanted it accomplished, that they’re like, ‘I can’t tell the difference. The characters are the characters, let’s move on.’ As far as I can tell, we’re past it. It worked, we transitioned to a new era and if the show sucks from here forward, it’s for the usual reasons any show can suck. Not because of these dramatic events.”

Rick and Morty Season 8 is now in the works for a release in 2025. Rick and Morty: The Anime will release with Adult Swim and Max later this year. 

HT – Variety