'Rick and Morty' co-creator Dan Harmon apologizes for 'distasteful' video

The "Rick and Morty" co-creator and "Community" showrunner has apologized for a 2009 video in which he simulates having sex with a baby doll.

"In 2009, I made a 'pilot' which strove to parody the series "Dexter" and only succeeded in offending," Harmon said in a statement provided to CNN. "I quickly realized the content was way too distasteful and took the video down immediately. Nobody should ever have to see what you saw and for that, I sincerely apologize."

The sketch, created for a website Harmon created called Channel 101, resurfaced recently on a 4chan thread titled, "Dan Harmon Pedo Exposed."

"If they get to take scalps for someone making racist jokes, we get to take scalps for them making pedophilia jokes," one person commented on 4chan, possibly referencing the controversy surrounding Roseanne Barr that resulted in her ABC series being canceled.

Adult Swim, which broadcasts "Rick and Morty," provided a statement in support of Harmon to CNN.

"At Adult Swim, we seek out and encourage creative freedom and look to push the envelope in many ways, particularly around comedy," the statement read. "The offensive content of Dan's 2009 video that recently surfaced demonstrates poor judgement and does not reflect the type of content we seek out. Dan recognized his mistake at the time and has apologized. He understands there is no place for this type of content here at Adult Swim."

(Adult Swim and CNN share parent company WarnerMedia.)

Following the controversy, Harmon deleted his Twitter account on Monday.

Last week, "Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn was fired from the forthcoming third film in the franchise after tweets resurfaced from several years ago in which he made jokes about pedophilia and molestation.

Several celebs have rallied around Gunn, asking Disney to rehire him.