Honestly, if you’re like most fans, you probably spent the first ten minutes of Rick and Morty Season 7 squinting with your ears. You were waiting for the crack. The slip. That one syllable that would give away the fact that the smartest man in the universe had a brand-new soul.
It never really came, did it?
Finding a new Rick Sanchez voice actor wasn't just a casting call; it was a high-stakes search for a needle in a haystack of thousands of "Macho Man" Randy Savage impressions. When Adult Swim parted ways with co-creator Justin Roiland in early 2023, the show faced a literal existential crisis. You can’t exactly have Rick and Morty without, well, Rick.
The Man Behind the Lab Coat: Who is Ian Cardoni?
The guy who eventually stepped into the portal is Ian Cardoni.
Before he was yelling about "sci-fi rigmarole," Cardoni was a Boston-based actor with a resume that wouldn't necessarily scream "global superstar." He’d done some promo work for the WWE—narrating WrestleMania 36 and 37 as a Jack Sparrow-esque character—and had bit parts in things like HBO’s Clear History.
Basically, he was a talented "nobody" in the best sense of the word.
Cardoni wasn't just some random sound-alike found on TikTok. Showrunner Scott Marder and Dan Harmon put him through a six-month gauntlet. They didn't just want a guy who could do the voice; they wanted a guy who could live in it for 14 hours a day without blowing out his vocal cords.
Cardoni has mentioned in interviews that he uses specific "trigger" lines to find the character. If he needs conversational Rick, he says a weird line about Hugh Jackman from the Season 7 premiere. If he needs "Angry Rick," he goes with the classic: "Touch my shit and die."
Why the Recast Was a Massive Risk
Recasting a lead is usually a death sentence for a comedy. Imagine replacing Homer Simpson in 1995. It just doesn't happen.
The Rick Sanchez voice actor transition was uniquely difficult because the original voice was so tied to the creator's improvisational "stutter-heavy" style. Early Rick burped every three seconds. He slurred. He felt genuinely, dangerously drunk.
But here’s the thing: Rick had already been changing for years.
By Season 6, the "belch-per-minute" count had dropped significantly. The character had evolved from a chaotic drunk into a more calculated, weary scientist. Cardoni didn't have to capture the Season 1 pilot version of Rick; he had to capture the Season 6 version.
The "Stamina" Problem
One thing people don't realize about voice acting is the physical toll.
- Vocal Frying: Rick's voice is gravelly. Doing that for a full episode is brutal.
- The Screaming: When Rick gets "heightened," as Cardoni calls it, the strain is real.
- The Nuance: He has to sound like he doesn't care, while the actor clearly has to care a lot about the delivery.
Critics and fans have noted that Cardoni’s Rick is perhaps a bit "cleaner." He’s a more polished actor than his predecessor. Some miss the "dark edge" or the feeling that the person in the booth is actually losing their mind, but most agree the show’s writing is now carrying the weight that the "shock" of the voice used to.
What Most Fans Get Wrong About the New Voice
There’s a common misconception that the show just hired one guy to replace both leads.
Nope.
In the old days, Roiland did both. Now, it’s a split team. Cardoni handles Rick, while Harry Belden—another relative newcomer—takes on Morty. This actually changed the dynamic in the booth. Instead of one guy talking to himself and editing it together, you have two actors who can actually play off each other's energy.
It makes the relationship feel a bit more grounded, even when they’re fighting a giant space-incest baby or whatever the hell else is happening that week.
The Search That Went Global (Almost)
Scott Marder admitted they nearly opened a "global hotline" for the search. They were that desperate. They heard thousands of auditions.
A lot of people wondered why they didn't just hire Sean Kelly, the TikToker who went viral for his uncanny impressions. While Kelly is amazing, there’s a massive difference between doing a 30-second "bit" and anchoring a multi-million dollar franchise. Cardoni had the acting chops to handle the heavy, emotional lore-heavy episodes—like the showdown with Rick Prime.
Speaking of Rick Prime, Cardoni handles the "Evil" versions too. That requires a subtle shift in tone—less "bored grandpa," more "intergalactic psychopath."
The Future of the Rick Sanchez Voice
We are now well into the post-Roiland era. Season 7 came and went, Season 8 is on the horizon for 2026, and the "voice controversy" has mostly faded into the background.
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It's a testament to Cardoni’s skill that most people stopped talking about the change by the third episode of his debut season. He isn't just a replacement; he’s the steward of the character now.
If you're looking to track the evolution yourself, pay attention to the vowels. Some hardcore fans on Reddit have pointed out that Cardoni truncates certain words more than the original. It’s a tiny detail, but it’s how he makes the role his own without breaking the illusion.
How to Appreciate the Craft
If you want to truly see the difference a Rick Sanchez voice actor makes, try this:
- Watch the Season 1 Pilot: Focus on the erratic, wet, burpy delivery.
- Watch "The Old Man and the Seat" (Season 4): Note how the voice becomes more melodic and "acted."
- Watch "Unmortricken" (Season 7): Listen to how Cardoni handles the absolute emotional collapse of the character.
The takeaway is pretty simple. The voice is a tool, but the character is the writing. As long as the "Rick-ness" is there in the script, Cardoni has proven he’s more than capable of keeping the portal open.
The best way to support the new era is to stop listening for the flaws and start listening to the performance. Cardoni earned the lab coat. Now he's just gotta keep from spilling any mega-seed juice on it.