Vic Mignogna is out as a guest at New Mexico Comic Expo, and the convention’s own statement makes clear they still have nothing on him beyond the same 2019 allegations that never produced a single finding against him in court. The Albuquerque event had announced Mignogna for its September 26-27 show at the Marriott Uptown, covering his work as Broly in the Dragon Ball films and his Captain Kirk role in the fan production Star Trek: Phase II. Days later, the convention reversed course.
The organizer’s statement, posted through the account nmcomicexpo, read in full:
“In the excitement of creating a guest roster for a comic convention, we learn some lessons. At times, we look to our fans, in this case, the anime community, to share their thoughts to help us determine who would be the best fit for our shows.
With that said, we would like to confirm that Vic Mignogna will no longer be appearing as a guest at New Mexico Comic Expo. We apologize if our previous announcement caused any disappointment or confusion.
As we’ve continued to listen to our community and learn more, we’ve made the decision that moving forward without him is the right choice for our event.
The safety, comfort, and overall experience of our attendees, guests, vendors, artists, and volunteers will always be our highest priority. We are committed to creating an event where everyone feels welcome, respected, and safe.
We appreciate your understanding and your continued support as we work to continue build the best possible New Mexico Comic Expo for our community.”
The statement names no allegation, no incident, and no new complaint. It cites “community” feedback and a commitment to “safety” without saying what, specifically, Mignogna is alleged to have done at this convention or any other since the last time this played out. It’s very obvious some political activist concern trolls are coming at him again.
The 2019 Cancel Attempt
Vic Mignogna built his career on decades of voice work, most notably as Edward Elric in “Fullmetal Alchemist,” a role that won him the American Anime Award for Best Actor in 2007. He has voiced over a hundred anime and video game characters, including Broly in the Dragon Ball franchise, Tamaki Suoh in “Ouran High School Host Club,” and Qrow Branwen in “RWBY.” Outside the booth, he wrote, directed, and starred as Captain Kirk in “Star Trek Continues,” a fan production that ran from 2012 to 2017 and drew praise for capturing William Shatner’s original performance. He is also a Christian musician who served as a worship leader at Houston’s First Baptist Church and produced several gospel and Christian pop albums.
In January 2019, anonymous accusations of harassment surfaced online alongside the release of “Dragon Ball Super: Broly.” Voice actresses Monica Rial and Jamie Marchi came forward with claims against him. Funimation opened an internal investigation and dropped Mignogna within a week. Rooster Teeth followed. Mignogna denied the accusations and expressed regret for any discomfort his fans may have felt, but he never admitted to the underlying claims.
Mignogna’s supporters raised roughly $260,000 through a legal defense fundraiser and organized under two hashtags, #IStandWithVic and #KickVic, turning the dispute into one of the loudest fights the anime convention scene had seen. Mignogna filed a defamation suit against Funimation, Rial, Marchi, and Marchi’s fiance in Tarrant County, Texas.
No Verdict Against Him
Here is what the record shows. The lawsuit did not fail because a judge or jury weighed the harassment claims and sided with the accusers. It was dismissed under the Texas Citizens Participation Act, the state’s anti-SLAPP law, which protects speech on matters of public concern regardless of whether that speech is true. Texas’s Second Court of Appeals said as much directly, writing that the dismissal “does not serve as a factual adjudication of the underlying harassment allegations.” No court ever ruled that Mignogna did what he was accused of, and no criminal charge was ever filed. There was also no formal police report ever produced. What Mignogna lost was a procedural fight over Texas free speech law, and he was ordered to cover the other side’s attorney fees, a separate matter from guilt or innocence.
Six years later, that is still the entirety of the record. New Mexico Comic Expo did not cite a new complaint, a new accuser, or a new incident. They cited “the anime community” and their own listening exercise, then pulled a guest whose only public offense remains a set of unproven 2019 claims that a Texas appellate court explicitly declined to rule on.
A Pattern With No New Facts
This is not the first time Mignogna has been removed from a guest list years after 2019 with nothing new attached to the decision. The pattern holds: an announcement goes up, a portion of the online anime community objects, and the convention caves within days, always citing the community and never the specifics. Meanwhile Mignogna keeps working. He has appeared at dozens of conventions since 2019, founded his own dubbing studio in partnership with Anime Matsuri in 2021, signed with a UK talent agency in 2024, and continues narrating audiobooks and voicing new roles.
New Mexico Comic Expo had the chance to either stand behind its own booking or point to an actual reason for reversing it. It did neither, but asked its audience to accept a decision made because a segment of Twitter was loud about it.
If a six-year-old set of allegations that never survived a single court ruling on the merits is enough to bounce a guest from a con in 2026, what would it take for a convention to say publicly why they made the call?
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