Rick and Morty: who are new voice actors for season 7 as Justin Roiland is replaced on Adult Swim comedy

Rick and Morty fans have known that series co-creator Justin Roiland would be replaced as the voice actor for the two main characters since January when he was fired by Adult Swim over domestic violence allegations.

However, the names of the two actors that would step in to replace him were kept secret until the season seven premiere in the US on Sunday.

We now know that the two soundalike actors, one of whom will play Rick and the other Morty, are relatively unknown actors who were chosen for their ability to replicate Roiland’s performance and maintain continuity.

This is a different route to that taken by Solar Opposites producers who replaced Roiland (who played Korvo) with British actor Dan Stevens, explaining the change in-universe with a voice-changing ray.  

Speaking of the re-casting process, Rick and Morty showrunner Scott Marder told The Hollywood Reporter: “We felt like we needed to go that far and wide. It was harder than we thought. I thought it’d have been easier… No one sounded exactly like Rick. It was tricky. 

“People had it in splashes but once you bring them back in, they couldn’t do it conversationally, which is what we needed. It was exhaustive.”

Who originally voiced Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith?

Rick and Morty were both originally voiced by Justin Roiland, the show’s co-creator, who put on different voices to play both characters.

Roiland was dropped by Adult Swim in January 2023 when domestic abuse allegations were made against him - criminal charges against the voice actor, which he denied, were dismissed in March over insufficient evidence.

In September, allegations of sexual assault were made against Roiland - he denies them. 

Who is the new Rick Sanchez voice actor?

Ian Cardoni 

Bostonian actor Ian Cardoni will replace Roiland as the alcoholic, nihilistic, and narcissistic space travelling grandad Rick Sanchez from season seven of the show. The role is Cardoni’s biggest role of his career so far.

Previously, Cardoni has appeared in comedy series Irl, wrestling specials WrestleMania 36 and 37, and horror series Dead of Night. He has also worked as a producer on short thriller The Unwanted Gift.   

Who is the new Morty Smith voice actor?

Harry Belden

The voice role is Belden’s biggest part to date - he has previously appeared in single episodes of drama shows Proven Innocent, and Chicago Med, comedy series Joe Pera Talks with You. He also had a small role in the festive Disney film Christmas...Again?!

Belden is expected to play Morty in all new seasons of the series, meaning that he will likely reprise the role in seasons 8-10.

Marder said of Cardoni and Belden: “We brought those guys back in with a wave of people a ton of times and made them go through a bunch of sides and do all scenes in a way we wouldn’t even do normally just to see what their stamina was and if they could stay in voice. We put them through a pretty rigorous process.”

When is Rick and Morty season 7 on TV?

Season seven of Rick and Morty will premiere in the UK on Tuesday 17 October at 10pm on E4. Episodes will be available to watch on Channel 4 online shortly after they first air. There are 10 episodes in the new series and they will be released at the same time weekly.