‘Rick and Morty’: How Ice-T Really Felt About His ‘Get Schwifty’ Homage

One of Rick and Morty‘s most famous episodes, “Get Schwifty,” features a cameo by rapper and Law & Order: SVU star Ice T. The actor features heavily in the episode, but his voice is just an impression by series co-creator Dan Harmon. The real Ice T has commented on the cameo a couple of times, however.

Rick and Morty Season 2, Episode 5, “Get Schwifty” premiered in the August of 2015, and Ice T weighed in almost immediately on his prolific Twitter account. When a fan tagged him in the clip, Ice T tweeted: “This happens with cartoonists after lots of drugs… Fn Crazy!!” However, a few years later in 2019, Ice T commented on the appearance again, this time taking the joke in stride. He wrote: “I got a lotta Love from my Rick and Morty appearance!”

In the replies to these tweets, fans begged Ice T to go on Rick and Morty himself and play that sci-fi version of his character in a reprisal. Fans are not alone — in a 2018 interview with Inverse, Harmon said that it Ice T was one of the celebrities he most wanted to book for a guest role of some kind on the show.

“I love Ice T and it would be a fantasy come true to have him come and do Ice T or Water T or any other character,” Harmon said. “He could be Vice President or whatever. It would be great to work with him sometime. I love his voice. That’s why I do a dumb impression of it.”

Harmon’s Ice T impression has been honed over years of practice — he often broke it out in his talk show podcast Harmontown, at times even making up freestyle rap songs on the spot in character. However, he intimated to Inverse that he kind of regretted not getting Ice T’s permission before using his impression on Rick and Morty.

“Ice T, this is my personal appeal to you,” he said. “Please come do a voice for Rick and Morty.”

For all fans know, this call could have been answered by now. Rick and Morty has been on hiatus since the end of Season 4 last spring, but Harmon has assured fans that work continues on writing, recording and animating the series. His latest public comments came in November at the virtual Adult Swim Festival 2020.

“I think we’re working on Season 7 right now, I can’t even keep track,” he said at the time. “I wouldn’t know if I were spoiling Season 5 or Season 6.” Meanwhile, star Sarah Chalke has spoken publicly about acquiring recording equipment to read her lines at home during the coronavirus pandemic, so chances are all aspects of the show are now moving forward. Still, Adult Swim has not set a premiere date for Rick and Morty Season 5.

In the meantime, Rick and Morty reruns air on weeknights at 10 p.m. ET on Adult Swim. The entire series is now streaming on both Hulu and HBO Max.