Cartoon Network is known for their outrageous children’s cartoons from the 90s, the philosophical animated seriesAdventure Timein the early-2010s, and the late-night block known as Adult Swim. This block began in the early-2000s with the intention of appealing to an older demographic. Shows likeSpace Ghost Coast to Coast, which mocked late-night talk shows, were one of the original adult animated comedies. As this block became more popular, it became a pillar in other networks' survival. Shows likeFamily GuyandBob’s Burgershave a strong standing because of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim.
Rick and Mortyis an animated series about a scientist and his grandson going on adventures, except the scientist is mad, and he continually puts his grandson and family at risk by traveling through different dimensions. It is currently in its seventh season, which premiered on June 05, 2025. What’s more, over the previous six seasons, the series has had some incredible guests. Comedy duo Key and Peele voiced Fourth-Dimensional Beings in the Season 2 premiere episode. Acting legend Susan Sarandon voiced Doctor Wong in three episodes.
Read more below to discover who else has been on the show.
9Key and Peele — A Rickle in Time (S2, E1)
In the Season 2 premiere episode, “A Rickle in Time,” six months have passed between Rick freezing his daughter and son-in-law. He is able to unfreeze them, but since they have been frozen for so long, he cautions that a collapse of their collective realities could occur if Morty and Summer make physical contact with their parents.
Of course, their sibling competitiveness ultimately causes a disintegration of reality. Rick attempts to repair time with a crystal, but is interrupted by two Fourth-Dimensional beings (played byJordan PeeleandKeegan Michael Key). After an altercation with the beings, reality is split 64 times.
Why They’re Great
Due to thesuccess ofKey and Peele, the comedy duo was featured on other shows before venturing off on their own projects. In theRick and Mortyepisode, they voice the Fourth Dimensional Beings who try to help Rick. Key is more prevalent in the episode, and his trademark line delivery steals the scenes. Peele voices the character more dominantly in the post-credits scene, where he mistakes renowned physicist Albert Einstein for Rick and arrests him for creating a mess of reality. The Fourth-Dimensional Beings appear again in Season 4.
8Christina Hendricks — “Auto Erotic Assimilation” (S2, E14)
A blast from Rick’s past becomes a problem for everyone else in Season 2, Episide 14, “Auto Erotic Assimilation.” While traveling in space with Summer and Morty, they board a ship with the goal of robbing it. On the ship are refugees whose home planet has been taken over by a hive mind, who just so happens to be Rick’s former partner, Unity. The couple reunite despite Unity controlling an entire planet’s population. Morty and Summer protest Unity’s colonization regardless of her claims that people are happier.
The hive mind known as Unity is voiced byChristina Hendricks. She is known for the popular drama seriesMad Menand the comedy showGood Girls. Hendricks voicing a character like Unity is a far cry from her typical characters. This isn’t the first time Hendricks has played a powerful character, however, although it is the first time she has played a hive mind who justifies her need to be destructive, just like her character’s love interest. Unity appears in Seasons 2 and 7 ofRick and Morty.
7Stephen Colbert — “The Ricks Must Be Crazy” (S2, E6)
The Season 2 episode, “The Ricks Must Be Crazy” is broken into three parts: a cold open and two different plots. In the cold open, which sets up the rest of the episode, Rick, Morty, and Summer are about to return home when their car won’t start. Rick takes Morty into the engine, where a mini-universe exists. During the first plot, the trio meet Zeep Xanflorp, who tries several times to kill Rick. In the second plot, Summer, who was left behind, is nearly arrested by intergalactic police.
Zeep Xanflorp is a renowned scientist in the mini-verse. He is entrusted by the people and politicians alike to experiment and find ways to explore. Zeep is a parallel to Rick, apart from Rick being respected. Comedian and late night hostStephen Colbert voices Zeep. Colbert’s voice is well known, and according toVogue, he learned to speak like a newscaster so that people would assume he’s smart. This seems like a move even Zeep would approve of, since he’s the smartest being in his universe.
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6Lisa Kudrow — “Juricksic Mort” (S6, E6)
Millions of years ago, a meteor hit the Earth and caused a mass extinction of the dinosaurs. However, inRick and Morty, the dinosaurs were the original rulers of earth who flew away into outer space, as seen in the episode, “Juricksic Mort.” The dinosaurs were technologically and socially advanced. Seeing how life on the planet was with mammals running everything, the dinosaurs stepped in and helped solve world hunger.
ComedianLisa Kudrowis most well-known for her role as Phoebe onFriends. She is also renowned for her roles in films likeEasy Aand TV shows likeWeb TherapyandHouseBroken. Kudrow also studied biology in college and is extremely smart, something many of her characters have in common with her. InRick and Morty, Kudrow voices one of the dinosaur leaders, The Tyrannosaurus, who helps world leaders defeat world hunger.
5Werner Herzog — “Interdimensional Cable 2: Tempting Fate” (S2, E8)
Every now and again, Rick doesn’t put Morty in danger. Sometimes, he leaves his experiments lying around and his daughter Beth and her husband, Jerry, are put in harm’s way. In the episode, “Interdimensional Cable 2: Tempting Fate,” Jerry gets into ice cream, which is one of Rick’s experiments. Unfortunately, Jerry becomes so ill that he has to be hospitalized. When he wakes up, fully healed, he learns that he can save an intergalactic civil rights activist, Shrimply Pibbles, by donating his genitals.
Rick and Mortywill invite some celebrities or actors onto the show and use their name or work as inspiration for the character. For Shrimply Pibbles, a renowned civil rights leader onRick and Morty, only one celebrity could provide a voice for him. Documentarian turned fantasy film director and actorWerner Herzogis the epitome of an artist.
Whether he is directing a documentary or fictional film, Herzog brings humanity to the main people or characters in his films. Under his acting credits, he was in several episodes ofThe Mandalorianand the film,Jack Reacher.
4Susan Sarandon — “Pickle Rick” (S3, E3)
In one of the most popularepisodes ofRick and Morty,“Pickle Rick,” a new character is introduced: Dr. Wong. She is a school appointed therapist for Summer and Morty who helps them when Rick is turned into a pickle. During Season 4’s episode, “Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerri,” she appears again where she becomes a therapist for the entire family. In Season 6’s episode, “Analyze Piss,” Dr. Wong helps Rick determine why he continues to be plagued by villains. She also appeared in a Season 7 episode.
Renowned actressSusan Sarandonvoices Dr. Wong inRick and Morty. Among her best roles were Louise inThelma and Louiseand Janet inThe Rocky Horror Picture Show. Her voicing of Dr. Wong is amazing because Sarandon has avoided being type-cast, something nearly impossible in Hollywood.
During her career, she has played everything from a nun to a spider. Sarandon, voicing a therapist on a show where the characters go between worlds and turn into pickles, adds another layer to her transformational powers.
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3Nathan Fillion — “The Rickshank Redemption” (S3, E1)
In “The Rickshank Redemption,” which referencesThe Shawshank Redemption, Rick is visited by a Galactic Federation agent named Cornvelious Daniel. His mission was to discover how Rick invented his renowned portal gun. During the process, Cornvelious learns about Rick’s entire past. The reason Rick can travel between realms is that he is from an alternate world where his wife and daughter were killed by an alternate version of himself. In order to avenge their deaths, Rick invented his now infamous portal gun.
Only one actor could fulfill this responsibility and carry the weight of being an agent — the reigning king of all nerd-dom,Nathan Fillionvoices Cornvelious. He has been in countless TV shows as himself or an interesting character. Indeed, Fillion also has a deep love for TV, something he has had the chance to explore. Starring in an episode ofRick and Mortyelevates Fillion’s kingly status among nerd-dom citizens.
2Jennifer Coolidge — “A Rickconvenient Mort” (S5, E3)
To heal her broken heart, in “A Rickconvenient Mort,” Rick suggests that he and Summer go on a multi-planet bar crawl. Each of the planets they visit is about to be destroyed by natural causes. On the first planet, Rick meets an alien named Daphne, whom he instantly falls for despite his agreement with Summer to not be attached. Rick sneaks Daphne into the car without Summer knowing, although this secret is short-lived. Summer’s suspicions about Daphne using Rick are eventually proven, which leaves him shocked and depressed.
Daphne, an iconic seductress, deserved to be voiced by someone of equal status. Enter:Jennifer Coolidge. While she may be known for her role in theLegally Blondemovies, she has played many iconic characters who are confident in themselves. One of Coolidge’s characters that is like Daphne most is Sophie in the comedy series,2 Broke Girls. Like herRick and Mortycharacter, anytime Coolidge makes an appearance, she leaves a lasting impression of immeasurable proportions. She appears in Season 3, Episode 3.
1Vanessa Marshall — “Never Ricking Morty” (S4, Episode 6)
In Season 4, the story of how Rick saved Space Christmas is retold in “Never Ricking Morty.” Aboard a space train, tales of different people who have met Rick are told. Eventually, Rick and Morty are caught in the middle and Rick tells Morty about Jesus Christ. ManyVeggie Talescharacters appear, as well as a talking cross named Crossy. Rick and Morty are broken free from the train because Jesus Christ literally saves them.
Crossy is voiced byVanessa Marshall, who is widely known for her voice acting roles in over 600 video games. What’s more, Marshall is one of the few voice actors onRick and Mortywho has voiced two different characters on the show, playing Adam’s Mother in Season 5, Episode 1. In addition to Marshall giving video game fans dual excitement, the two episodes she’s featured in are somewhat connected. Jesus Christ appears in Season 4 and the Season 5 episode Marshall appears inreferencesThe Chronicles of Narnia, which takes inspiration from the Biblical story of Jesus Christ.
