Harmon apologized for the video two years ago, but now the clip is being used again with hashtags by followers of right-wing conspiracy theory QAnon.
Eleven years after “Rick and Morty” co-creator Dan Harmon made a parody video in which he simulates the rape of a baby – and two years after he apologized to her – new attention is being paid to the video on social media and therefore called cancel the show for adult swimming. While this is not the first time that controversy over the video has erupted, this latest round of public backlash comes with a new twist: Posts asking for the cancellation of “Rick and Morty” often include hashtags used by adherents of the sprawling right-wing collision theory QAnon.
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This is the maker of Rick & Morty! This shit is sick shit #CancelRickandMorty #SAVEOURCHILDEN #pizzagate #frazzeldrip pic.twitter.com/JbA5iCAHf4– Zoe prins 🧟♂️ (@vanzoeyung) August 13, 2020
The video, a parody of “Dexter” called “Daryl,” premiered at the 2009 Channel 101 comedy festival. It features Harmon’s character climbing through a window, pulling his pants down and rubbing his genitals on a baby who it’s lying on a bench. Harmon appears on camera at the beginning of the video warning viewers the following footage is “controversial.”
The video appeared in 2018 and caused backlash against Harmon on social media, prompting him to delete his Twitter account. He said this at the time:
‘In 2009 I made a’ pilot ‘that struggled to parody the series’ Dexter’ and only managed to insult it. I soon realized that the content was too dishonest and immediately downloaded the video. No one would ever have to see what you saw and for that I sincerely apologize. ”
Cartoon Network, which broadcasts ‘Rick and Morty’, was standing by Harmon when he explained the video.
The clip is circulating again this week. On Twitter, it is often posted with #SaveTheChildren. That hashtag was first used to raise money for the Charity of the Save the Children, but as the New York Times reported Wednesday, it was recently bought by QAnon followers. Facebook disabled the hashtag shortly after it was flooded with pro-QAnon content.
For the uninitiated, QAnon is a sprawling collision theory that has been gaining steam since the last months of 2017. The core issues revolve around the belief in a worldwide cabal of elite pedophiles who rule the world, including Hillary Clinton and notables from Hollywood. They believe that President Donald Trump is working to expose the things of this group.
Although QAnon has a lot of dedicated followers, it’s likely that many people place the Harmon video next to #SaveTheChildren, unaware that they’re promoting one of the movement’s hashtags. As the Times reported, prominent mommy bloggers and fitness influencers have started placing moms against trading with the hashtag.
But some people who post about Harmon definitely follow QAnon. In fact, some fans have been discussing Harmon and “Rick and Morty” for two years in the context of alleged Hollywood pedophilia. One Twitter user posted screenshots of the video in July 2018 alongside #QAnon and #Pizzagate.
I give you Dan Harmon, maker of Rick & Morty.#QAnon#Pizzagate @AnOpenSecret @ LisaMei62 @_The_Watchers_ pic.twitter.com/B2s6Zp2Kcs
– Franklin Langley (@ Taoistguy457) July 23, 2018
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