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‘Rick and Morty’ Co-Creator Dan Harmon Says He Hated Adult Swim’s ‘Game of Thrones’ Burn


  • August 31, 2017

During a broadcast of Rick and Morty this week, an Adult Swim bumper jokingly memorialized quality writing on Game of Thrones. Now, Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon has put out a lengthy statement making clear that not only did he have nothing to do with this joke, but he also really hates that Adult Swim broadcast it.

On Instagram, Harmon posted a long run-on sentence in which he says that he was waiting to say something about this until he could phrase his criticism elegantly, but then he realized that he shouldn’t bother considering the person who wrote the Game of Thrones joke didn’t care nearly as much.

“…I keep waiting for the time I’d need to write something worth saying because rule number one in talking s*** is you better talk way better s*** than the s*** you’re talking about but then I remember the truly frustrating thing about that card is that it breaks that rule, being a lazy, craftless jab at the WRITING on my favorite show that some pointlessly jaded teenage intern in Atlanta just left like a fart in my show’s space…”

Dan Harmon at Comic-Con 2014

Dan Harmon at Comic-Con 2014. | Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Harmon went on to disavow the joke, saying that he loves Game of Thrones and adding, “sorry if that anonymous unearned snark bummed you out.”

Adult Swim is known for bumper jokes that air during their commercial breaks, and on Sunday, one of these cards suggested that quality writing on Game of Thrones died in 2016, i.e. before the most recent seventh season. The airing of this joke was a bit awkward considering it came about an hour after what was generally considered to be a great season finale.

Spiciest post-post-credit burn. from rickandmorty

This joke was initially seen as Rick and Morty itself taking a jab at Game of Thrones, which is why co-creator Justin Roiland came out the next day and said that he wasn’t responsible for it.

The official Rick and Morty Twitter account even got involved, making clear that no one associated with the show had anything to do with the joke and that it was entirely Adult Swim’s doing. The tweet added that the creators of Rick and Morty actually love Game of Thrones.