A number of Dragon Ball voice actors including Monica Rial, Daman Mills, and others cancelled their upcoming appearances at Kamehacon following Dragon Ball Super: Broly voice actor Vic Mignogna being reinvited by the convention.
Monica Rial, who voiced Bulma in Dragon Ball Super: Broly, announced she was cancelling her appearance, but did indicate she is looking for a “space to do a signing.”
I have decided to cancel my appearance at Kamehacon. This was a difficult decision because the last thing I want to do is disappoint the fans. To make it up to you guys, I’m working on finding a space to do a signing. I will share the details as soon as I have them worked out. ❤️
— Monica Rial (@Rialisms) March 24, 2019
Rial’s announcement would be followed by Daman Mills who voiced Moroko in Dragon Ball Super: Broly. He also voices Frieza in Dragon Ball Super.
I’m profoundly sorry and regret to say that I have withdrawn my upcoming appearance at Kamehacon. This has come after a great deal of thought, and ultimately comes down to following what I feel is right. Please understand, we’re working on a way to make this up to fans.
— Daman Mills (@DamanMills) March 24, 2019
Jason Douglas, who stars as Tobin on The Walking Dead and voices Beerus in Dragon Ball Super: Broly and Dragon Ball Super also announced he would no longer be appearing at Kamehacon.
I have withdrawn from my previously announced Friday appearance at Kamehacon in April. My regrets to the fans and friends who had planned to meet me there.
— Jason Douglas (@MrJasonDouglas) March 24, 2019
Josh Grelle. who voices the Grand Minister in Dragon Ball Super, also revealed he would not longer be appearing at Kamehacon. Grelle is also part of the voice cast for RWBY as Tyrian Callows. He also voices Armin Artlet on Attack on Titan.
I have withdrawn my appearance at @KamehaCon next month. Apologies to any attendees that this affects. I am working on a way to make it up to you.
— Josh Grelle (@JoshGrelle) March 25, 2019
Dragon Ball Super voice actors weren’t the only ones cancelling appearances at Kamehacon. Anime fan Terez announced he would be cancelling his panel at Kamehacon. He would explain his decision at length on Twitter.
I truly regret to announce that my Kamehacon panel is canceled. I have no illusions about how many fans were looking forward to my little nerd panel, but as I am not under contract, I am obligated to make a stand against the re-invitation of a known con creep at such a late date. https://t.co/boGqSPlTVL
— Terez (@Terez27) March 23, 2019
Aside from whatever fans might have been looking forward to my panel, I only feel obligated to apologize to one person: @EmperorBigD. Speaking only for myself, he really does not deserve to be put in this position. He went to bat for me, and now I feel like I am betraying him.
— Terez (@Terez27) March 23, 2019
My panel was supposed to be on Sunday morning, so maybe Mignogna—who presumably has to be shoehorned into the schedule somehow—can do one of his infamous church services in my room at that hour. Two weeks later, I will be at @JordanConInc which has a sensible harassment policy.
— Terez (@Terez27) March 23, 2019
I will still be in Dallas. Unlike others, I could cancel altogether and not lose a dime, but so many of my friends have bought non-refundable flights and rooms and they are the real draw of “Kamehacon” anyway. Unfortunately some of them have bought nonrefundable con tickets, too.
— Terez (@Terez27) March 23, 2019
Others also have panels and art booths and contracts. They will all have to make their own tough decisions about what to do. Whatever they do, I respect their choices. My contempt is reserved for the con executives who assured fans before they committed that Vic was kicked.
— Terez (@Terez27) March 23, 2019
The neat trick about this, by accident or design, is that Kamehacon gets all the money from one side by giving them what they want up front, and they get all the money from the other side by pulling the rug out from underneath everyone else at the last minute.
— Terez (@Terez27) March 23, 2019
Conventions with sensible harassment policies would never invite a guest with a well-documented history of sexual harassment AT CONVENTIONS in the first place. Not in 2018 when Vic stories were already well known, and especially not in 2019. No matter how important/popular he is.
— Terez (@Terez27) March 23, 2019
I don’t want to hear excuses about what this or that VA said to convince the con to kick Vic. They kicked him, and that was their responsibility at the time they did it. The guests are not convention employees & it’s not their job to do due diligence on behalf of the convention.
— Terez (@Terez27) March 23, 2019
And whatever you think about Vic’s guilt or innocence, we should all be able to agree that the convention had a responsibility be honest with their guests and volunteers and attendees about what they were signing up for. Aside from safety concerns, many now have ethical dilemmas.
— Terez (@Terez27) March 23, 2019
As someone who has been going to JordanCon for a decade, I’ve always wished for a niche DB con because I know niche cons can work well, but this isn’t how you do it. And for people who like dubbed anime, Vic is a foul hill to die on. There’s a reason none of his peers defend him.
— Terez (@Terez27) March 23, 2019
I have immense sympathy for the unnamed Funi VAs who tried to push for a recast when they got handed the Broly movie last year. The powers that be should’ve listened. I hope that everyone in the industry is listening now, because this lesson is important.https://t.co/WKBm2T9eG6
— Terez (@Terez27) March 23, 2019
Given the opportunity to drop a known creep with minimal drama, just do it. People with decades-long histories of inappropriate behavior are probably going to keep doing it, and eventually that is going to be a major problem. And in 2019 cons are expected to avoid these risks.
— Terez (@Terez27) March 23, 2019
If anyone outside my circle of friends was hoping to see me at the con, feel free to tweet at me. I am very meticulous these days about keeping my mentions as readable and sane as possible. I hope that one day we can have a Dragon Ball con that works, but this one just ain’t it.
— Terez (@Terez27) March 23, 2019
When it comes down to it, I agree. The con execs betrayed everyone. I just feel bad that he is in that position.
— Terez (@Terez27) March 23, 2019
Vic Mignogna has been accused of sexual misconduct by Rial and Jamie Marchi along with a number of other individuals. He has denied the allegations repeatedly. Following the accusations, Mignogna was replaced by Funimation in Morose Monokean Season 2. They also intimated they had severed their relationship and would no longer be working with him. WarnerMedia owned Rooster Teeth also fired Mignogna from RWBY. Mignogna had been uninvited by Kameha Con following the accusations, but would be reinvited last week.
Mignogna has acquired a legal team and Minnesota-based lawyer Nick Rekieta set up a GoFundMe to raise funds for Mignogna’s legal team. The GoFundMe has currently raised over $118,000 as of this writing.