Matlock Actor Fired Following Sexual-Assault Allegation

David Del Rio, who played Billy Martinez in Matlock, is off the CBS legal drama following an investigation into an incident. He was removed from set the week of September 29 after CBS Studios was made aware of a sexual-assault allegation from a female cast member, sources told The Hollywood Reporter. Actress Leah Lewis assured fans that she is “moving forward in love and strength” in a statement that was issued shortly after reports from Deadline and TMZ identified her as the involved actress. While Del Rio has not directly commented, his wife has shared social-media posts aimed at Lewis.

Why was David Del Rio fired?

The alleged assault was reported and internally investigated by the studio on October 2. That same day, Del Rio was fired and escorted off the Paramount lot by a group of people that reportedly included Matlock executive producer Eric Christian Olsen.

What did Leah Lewis say?

The actress emphasized her strength and expressed gratitude for the support she has received in an October 9 Instagram Story. “Mom is here,” she captioned a photo of herself hugging her mom. “We’re moving forward in love and strength. I’m in good hands. Thank you to everybody for any kind of support and care. Truly, we’re moving forward in strength. Key word, strength. Let that be the takeaway.” 

Has David Del Rio responded?

He has yet to publicly comment on his firing, but his wife, actress Katherine Del Rio, shared a photo of herself and her mom in a quickly deleted Instagram Story on October 9 that followed the format of Lewis’s post. “Mom is here. We’re moving forward in love and strength after what Leah did to our family,” she wrote, per Deadline. “Thank you all for the love and support!” Katherine also posted and deleted a zoomed-in photo of Lewis’s face, captioning it, “This is the most disturbing human being I have ever met,” according to Us Weekly.

How will this affect Matlock?

Del Rio was removed when the Kathy Bates series was midway through production on its second season, which premieres October 11. Filming will resume in November after a preplanned production hiatus, with scripts reworked to write out his character. CBS Studios declined to comment. 

On the updated meta-version of the original Andy Griffith series, Del Rio played a first-year associate at a New York law firm alongside Lewis as his friend–slash–professional rival. The show also starred Skye P. Marshall as firm partner Olympia Lawrence, and Jason Ritter as Olympia’s ex-husband and current co-worker, Julian. Bates earned an Emmy nomination for her performance as Madeline “Matty” Matlock, a cunning attorney who returns to a career in law for her own mysterious reasons.