In February 2019, following sexual harassment allegations from the
MeToo movement dating back to when his career began, Mignogna was dismissed from
Sony Pictures and
Rooster Teeth, but denied any accusations against himself. Mignogna unsuccessfully pursued legal cases against
Funimation and other industry professionals in relation to the allegations and was ordered by a court to pay the defendants' legal fees. Mignogna has been less active in the voice-acting industry in response to the allegations.
In 2007, the
American Anime Awards presented Mignogna with an award for Best Actor for his work on Fullmetal Alchemist.[16][17][18] He often gains attention for his role in Alchemist, and at one point attended between 15 and 25 conventions per year.[12][19] One of Mignogna's career goals was "to record at all of the major places where
dubbing is done."[20] He said he was "the first ADV voice actor to record at Funimation in
Dallas and then I was the first to go to
New York."[20] He has also recorded in
Los Angeles; he tried out for Bleach and received the part of
Ikkaku Madarame.[21][22] In non-anime productions, he voiced
Qrow Branwen in
Rooster Teeth's web series RWBY.[23]
In addition to voice acting, Mignogna has been involved in music, sound, and video production.[24][25] He has produced hundreds of
jingles for commercials,[20] and he was a worship leader with Houston's First Baptist Church.[26][9] Mignogna has sung the
U.S. national anthem at several
Houston Astros baseball games.[9] As a musician, he has released several
albums, some of which feature English
cover versions of anime songs from shows, including the Funimation dub of One Piece and the Dragon Ball series. He also handled some of the ADR direction for the English dub of Claymore, in which he voices Rigaldo.
Mignogna appeared in several
fan productions, including Fullmetal Fantasy[20] and Star Trek: Phase II. In the latter series, he co-directed the episode "Enemy: Starfleet" and played the
Andorian Captain. He directed "KITUMBA" and played Malkthon the
Klingon, and was slated to direct the episode "Mindsifter."[12][15][27] In 2012, Mignogna worked with the
Starship Farragut production group. He directed and starred as Captain
James T. Kirk in their web series Star Trek Continues.[28][29][30][31] Mignogna has received positive reviews for writing, directing, executive-producing, and starring in Star Trek Continues, especially for his portrayal of the character of Kirk, using
William Shatner's unique mannerisms and cadence.[32][33]
In 2021, he founded his own dubbing studio with convention Anime Matsuri in partnership.[34]
Personal life
Mignogna was previously married to Seliece Womble from 1995 to 2002,[35] and was in a relationship with actress
Michele Specht from 2006 to May 2018.[3]
In early 2019, following the English release of Dragon Ball Super: Broly, which prominently features Mignogna's vocal work, allegations of
sexual harassment against him began to surface on
Twitter via the
MeToo movement, with some allegations dating back to when his career began in 1989.[1][36][37][38] Multiple accounts alleged that he kissed, groped, and made lewd
homophobic comments to fans without their consent, some of whom were underage.[36][37][39] Voice actresses
Monica Rial and
Jamie Marchitweeted their support for those speaking out, and alleged that he had also sexually harassed them.[1][38][40]
On January 22, 2019, Tammi Denbow, executive director of employee relations at
Sony Pictures, opened an investigation based on reports made by Rial, two female fans, and a former Funimation employee, which concluded a week later with him dismissed from the company.[41] On February 5, Rooster Teeth had also dismissed him, and Funimation recast his role of the Executive in The Morose Mononokean.[42][43][44] Multiple anime conventions also removed him from their guest list.[39][45] In response to the controversy, Mignogna categorically denied any accusations of sexual harassment.[39][45]
Mignogna issued a statement of regret during his panel at
Bak-Anime 2019 and again via Twitter on February 13, 2019.[46] Fans donated over $262,000 to a crowdfunding account opened by lawyer Nick Rekieta, who assisted Mignogna in acquiring Ty Beard as his attorney.[1][47] On February 20, Mignogna confirmed on Twitter that he was pursuing legal action,[48] and later filed a million-dollar lawsuit against Funimation, Rial, Marchi, and Ron Toye for
defamation and
tortious interference in the Tarrant County District Court.[49] Funimation filed a response on June 12, 2019, denying Mignogna's allegations.[50]
On June 26, Mignogna was
deposed.[1] On July 1, 2019, Funimation filed an
anti-SLAPP motion for Mignogna to dismiss his lawsuit.[51] Rial, Marchi, and Toye then filed anti-SLAPP motions on July 19,[52] with ten
affidavits, including ones from
Kara Edwards and
Michele Specht,[8][1] as well as several allegations that he had also made unwanted advances towards
Mari Iijima.[53] On July 30, another affidavit was submitted by the two fans from Funimation's investigation.[1]
On September 6, 2019, a judge dismissed seven of the twelve claims, ruling in the defendants' favor. Mignogna was required to pay all of Marchi's legal fees.[54][55] On October 4, 2019, the District Court announced the remaining claims had been dismissed.[56] Mignogna filed an appeal on October 24, with a hearing set for November 21.[57] The judge later ruled that Mignogna was required to pay for the defendants' attorney fees.[58]
In February 2021, in response to the allegations, Mignogna announced outside of Funimation, that he will not reprise his role as
Rohan Kishibe, a character from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, in the anime adaptation of the spin-off of the Diamond Is Unbreakable arc, Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe, and thanking his replacement Landon McDonald, wishing him the best.[59]
On August 18, 2022, the Texas Second Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of Mignogna's lawsuit and ruled that the District Court judge erred with regards to the lawyer's fees awarded to Rial and Toye, revising the initial amount up from $100,000 to $282,953.80 to account for additional costs.[60] Mignogna's appeal was denied in September 2022.[61] On November 14, 2022, Mignogna filed a
petition for review in the
Supreme Court of Texas, which was subsequently denied on December 30, 2022.[62][63]
Revix (2010) – a remix album of some of his earlier singles
Audio recordings
Gospel of John
A Howl at the Moon (2014) – audiobook narrator[236]
Notes
^1999 was the year that Mignogna began voice acting for anime dubs for television shows and videos. He has been composing and producing music since DC Talk's album in 1989 and appeared on television in 1993 as a contestant on Star Search.
^ The closing credits or manual does not list the voice actors involved.
^Martin, Theron (February 13, 2013).
"Level E BD+DVD – Review". Anime News Network.
Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
^Holly's Story: A Journey to Freedom and Hope. Cross Wind Productions (DVD). Houston, Texas. 2003.
^Wayside Creations (January 24, 2011).
Fallout: Nuka Break – Fan Film. YouTube. Event occurs at 15:01.
Archived from the original on December 10, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
In February 2019, following sexual harassment allegations from the
MeToo movement dating back to when his career began, Mignogna was dismissed from
Sony Pictures and
Rooster Teeth, but denied any accusations against himself. Mignogna unsuccessfully pursued legal cases against
Funimation and other industry professionals in relation to the allegations and was ordered by a court to pay the defendants' legal fees. Mignogna has been less active in the voice-acting industry in response to the allegations.
In 2007, the
American Anime Awards presented Mignogna with an award for Best Actor for his work on Fullmetal Alchemist.[16][17][18] He often gains attention for his role in Alchemist, and at one point attended between 15 and 25 conventions per year.[12][19] One of Mignogna's career goals was "to record at all of the major places where
dubbing is done."[20] He said he was "the first ADV voice actor to record at Funimation in
Dallas and then I was the first to go to
New York."[20] He has also recorded in
Los Angeles; he tried out for Bleach and received the part of
Ikkaku Madarame.[21][22] In non-anime productions, he voiced
Qrow Branwen in
Rooster Teeth's web series RWBY.[23]
In addition to voice acting, Mignogna has been involved in music, sound, and video production.[24][25] He has produced hundreds of
jingles for commercials,[20] and he was a worship leader with Houston's First Baptist Church.[26][9] Mignogna has sung the
U.S. national anthem at several
Houston Astros baseball games.[9] As a musician, he has released several
albums, some of which feature English
cover versions of anime songs from shows, including the Funimation dub of One Piece and the Dragon Ball series. He also handled some of the ADR direction for the English dub of Claymore, in which he voices Rigaldo.
Mignogna appeared in several
fan productions, including Fullmetal Fantasy[20] and Star Trek: Phase II. In the latter series, he co-directed the episode "Enemy: Starfleet" and played the
Andorian Captain. He directed "KITUMBA" and played Malkthon the
Klingon, and was slated to direct the episode "Mindsifter."[12][15][27] In 2012, Mignogna worked with the
Starship Farragut production group. He directed and starred as Captain
James T. Kirk in their web series Star Trek Continues.[28][29][30][31] Mignogna has received positive reviews for writing, directing, executive-producing, and starring in Star Trek Continues, especially for his portrayal of the character of Kirk, using
William Shatner's unique mannerisms and cadence.[32][33]
In 2021, he founded his own dubbing studio with convention Anime Matsuri in partnership.[34]
Personal life
Mignogna was previously married to Seliece Womble from 1995 to 2002,[35] and was in a relationship with actress
Michele Specht from 2006 to May 2018.[3]
In early 2019, following the English release of Dragon Ball Super: Broly, which prominently features Mignogna's vocal work, allegations of
sexual harassment against him began to surface on
Twitter via the
MeToo movement, with some allegations dating back to when his career began in 1989.[1][36][37][38] Multiple accounts alleged that he kissed, groped, and made lewd
homophobic comments to fans without their consent, some of whom were underage.[36][37][39] Voice actresses
Monica Rial and
Jamie Marchitweeted their support for those speaking out, and alleged that he had also sexually harassed them.[1][38][40]
On January 22, 2019, Tammi Denbow, executive director of employee relations at
Sony Pictures, opened an investigation based on reports made by Rial, two female fans, and a former Funimation employee, which concluded a week later with him dismissed from the company.[41] On February 5, Rooster Teeth had also dismissed him, and Funimation recast his role of the Executive in The Morose Mononokean.[42][43][44] Multiple anime conventions also removed him from their guest list.[39][45] In response to the controversy, Mignogna categorically denied any accusations of sexual harassment.[39][45]
Mignogna issued a statement of regret during his panel at
Bak-Anime 2019 and again via Twitter on February 13, 2019.[46] Fans donated over $262,000 to a crowdfunding account opened by lawyer Nick Rekieta, who assisted Mignogna in acquiring Ty Beard as his attorney.[1][47] On February 20, Mignogna confirmed on Twitter that he was pursuing legal action,[48] and later filed a million-dollar lawsuit against Funimation, Rial, Marchi, and Ron Toye for
defamation and
tortious interference in the Tarrant County District Court.[49] Funimation filed a response on June 12, 2019, denying Mignogna's allegations.[50]
On June 26, Mignogna was
deposed.[1] On July 1, 2019, Funimation filed an
anti-SLAPP motion for Mignogna to dismiss his lawsuit.[51] Rial, Marchi, and Toye then filed anti-SLAPP motions on July 19,[52] with ten
affidavits, including ones from
Kara Edwards and
Michele Specht,[8][1] as well as several allegations that he had also made unwanted advances towards
Mari Iijima.[53] On July 30, another affidavit was submitted by the two fans from Funimation's investigation.[1]
On September 6, 2019, a judge dismissed seven of the twelve claims, ruling in the defendants' favor. Mignogna was required to pay all of Marchi's legal fees.[54][55] On October 4, 2019, the District Court announced the remaining claims had been dismissed.[56] Mignogna filed an appeal on October 24, with a hearing set for November 21.[57] The judge later ruled that Mignogna was required to pay for the defendants' attorney fees.[58]
In February 2021, in response to the allegations, Mignogna announced outside of Funimation, that he will not reprise his role as
Rohan Kishibe, a character from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, in the anime adaptation of the spin-off of the Diamond Is Unbreakable arc, Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe, and thanking his replacement Landon McDonald, wishing him the best.[59]
On August 18, 2022, the Texas Second Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of Mignogna's lawsuit and ruled that the District Court judge erred with regards to the lawyer's fees awarded to Rial and Toye, revising the initial amount up from $100,000 to $282,953.80 to account for additional costs.[60] Mignogna's appeal was denied in September 2022.[61] On November 14, 2022, Mignogna filed a
petition for review in the
Supreme Court of Texas, which was subsequently denied on December 30, 2022.[62][63]
Revix (2010) – a remix album of some of his earlier singles
Audio recordings
Gospel of John
A Howl at the Moon (2014) – audiobook narrator[236]
Notes
^1999 was the year that Mignogna began voice acting for anime dubs for television shows and videos. He has been composing and producing music since DC Talk's album in 1989 and appeared on television in 1993 as a contestant on Star Search.
^ The closing credits or manual does not list the voice actors involved.
^Martin, Theron (February 13, 2013).
"Level E BD+DVD – Review". Anime News Network.
Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
^Holly's Story: A Journey to Freedom and Hope. Cross Wind Productions (DVD). Houston, Texas. 2003.
^Wayside Creations (January 24, 2011).
Fallout: Nuka Break – Fan Film. YouTube. Event occurs at 15:01.
Archived from the original on December 10, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.