President Curtis’ 2026 Return In Rick & Morty’s New Spinoff Series Teased By Keith David

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Keith David reprises his role as President Curtis in the Rick and Morty spinoff, and says viewers can expect things to be largely the same as before.

The Emmy-winning actor first joined the popular Adult Swim show in its second season with the episode “Get Schwifty,” where his character teamed up with Rick to help the President save Earth through a singing contest. He’s been a regular character ever since, often sharing a complicated, love-hate dynamic with Rick. Recently, at San Diego Comic-Con, the network announced a new spinoff series will focus on his character.

Keith David recently spoke with Liam Crowley from ScreenRant about the upcoming Rick and Morty spinoff, The Gray House. He confirmed the new series is expected to be released later this year and explained that it will maintain a similar tone to the original Rick and Morty. He described the character of Curtis as being the same President viewers know from the Adult Swim show.

The new series, President Curtis, was created by Dan Harmon, the creative force behind Rick and Morty, and James Siciliano, who started as a writer’s assistant on Rick and Morty and eventually became an executive producer and writer. The show will feature David (from Rick and Morty) alongside Jim Rash (also from Community) and Stephanie Beatriz (from Hazbin Hotel). It’s expected to focus on the adventures of President Curtis as he handles crises that Rick and Morty typically overlook.

Now that President Curtis has been approved and is in production, it marks the third spin-off series from Rick and Morty. The first was the 10-episode series Vindicators 2 which debuted in May 2022, followed by an anime adaptation of the shorts in late 2024. Neither of those shows has been renewed for another season, so David’s series has the opportunity to establish a new pattern for the franchise by creating successful, ongoing spin-offs and expanding the show’s universe.

Although David hasn’t revealed much about the future of the show, he has assured fans that President Curtis will continue to be a character they enjoy. Curtis was missing from season 8, and his last appearance was in season 7’s “Air Force Wong.” In that episode, he began a relationship with Dr. Wong (played by Susan Sarandon) and, after experiencing heartbreak, took control of a hive mind that Rick ultimately had to stop. The episode concluded with Curtis appearing very upset and telling Rick he was thinking about going to therapy.

Since Rick and Morty usually focuses on developing characters gradually over several seasons, it’s probably safe to assume President Curtis won’t immediately delve into deep self-reflection for David. But if the show picks up where it left off, as the creator suggests, the fun and unpredictable storylines could still offer opportunities for David to grow as a character – similar to how Rick often deals with his own emotional issues during his adventures with Morty.

The biggest news from David’s update is the upcoming release of President Curtis later this year – the first major update for the show. With Rick and Morty season 9 also anticipated in Fall 2026, this could mean a rare year with two big releases for the franchise. Adult Swim might even release them one after the other, giving fans several months of episodes created by Harmon.

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2026-02-17 00:38