Rick and Morty fans split over controversial 9/11 and Pearl Harbour jokes

Fans of long-running animation Rick and Morty are split over the inclusion of two controversial jokes about 9/11 and Pearl Harbour in the show’s latest episode.

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In the new episode ‘Promortyus’, which airs at 10pm on E4 this evening, Rick and Morty are seen flying towards two skyscrapers in a reference to the 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in which almost 3000 people died.

Swerving to avoid the towers, Rick says: “Honestly, I’m proud of us for not.” Morty replies: “Totally. Would have been cheap.” Soon after Rick says: ”Pearl Harbour on the other hand…” before bombing an alien harbour.

The jokes continue later in the episode when Rick’s daughter asks them about the incident. Morty says: “Almost did a 9/11. We…we went with a Pearl Harbour. We’re pretty classy.”

Following the airing of the episode in the US, fans took to social media to discuss the moments with some threatening to boycott the show in response. Others said the response had been an “overreaction.”

You can see some of the responses below:

Is Rick and Morty still doing 9/11 jokes?

Because wow, that's so funny in 2020.

— Poynter_Marcsman (@poyntermarcsman) May 11, 2020

Not Rick and Morty deciding to mize the twin towers and destroying Pearl Harbour instead

— elysian luna ☽ (@sunkissedseba) May 13, 2020

When I instantly knew it was 9/11 joke on Rick and Morty then it went pearl harbour real quick ooof

— (@heatherrrsyk) May 13, 2020

Rick and morty man, you gotta be creative and bold to joke about 9/11 and pearl harbor like that.

— Rithik Paikkadan (@maymeesa) May 12, 2020

Rick and morty man, you gotta be creative and bold to joke about 9/11 and pearl harbor like that.

— Rithik Paikkadan (@maymeesa) May 12, 2020

How is the @RickandMorty 9/11 joke offensive? They literally say that it wouldn't be right to make that joke. And make it clear that they avoided doing so. Everyone needs to grow up. #RickandMorty

— Ben Guest (@BenJests) May 14, 2020

They skipped 9/11 to "Pearl Harbor" instead. And then had the nerve to come back like no one would notice. Balls.

— Carlito Hayes (@CarlitoHayes) May 11, 2020

Earlier this month (May 5), actress Spencer Grammer said Rick and Morty are prepared to work on new episodes remotely while in lockdown if necessary.

Grammer, who voices Morty’s sister Summer on the show, told NME recording on season five has begun, and remote voice-work is entirely feasible.

“It works, it’s all totally fine, but it’s not as great,” Grammer began. “It’s sort of like doing a Zoom conference rather than doing an in-person interview. You’re different in person than when you’re remotely talking to somebody through a little computer box. We’ve recorded it that way but it’s just nice to see them.”

The actress explained she often records from a sound booth in New York while the main hub is in Los Angeles, but also said the possibility of lockdown recording from home is there.

“They sent me a microphone so I set it up in the closet in my father’s house in upstate New York, and some of the lines are in last week’s season premiere – we do record all the way up until it airs honestly!”

“A couple of lines is okay but I’m not gonna act that well when I’m in a closet holding my laptop looking at it with the mic set up six inches from my mouth… it’s a lot! But we can do it.”

‘Rick and Morty’ airs every Thursday at 10pm BST on E4 – stream the series online on All4

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