Actor David Del Rio was fired from the CBS legal drama Matlock following an investigation into a sexual-assault allegation, per Deadline. According to sources who spoke to the outlet, production was in the midst of filming the show’s second season when CBS Studios became aware of the alleged assault. The incident reportedly took place on September 26 in fellow series regular Leah Lewis’s trailer. Following an internal investigation by the studio, Deadline reports that Del Rio was escorted from the Paramount lot on October 2, the day the incident report was filed. Del Rio has not yet publicly commented on the matter. In a Friday email to The Cut, CBS Studios declined to comment.
CBS Studios did not confirm who filed the incident report, but following Deadline’s Thursday report, Lewis posted a photo of her and her mom to her Instagram Story. “Mom is here. We’re moving forward in love and strength. I’m in good hands,” she wrote. “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.”
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Del Rio’s wife, actress and chef Katherine Del Rio, reportedly posted her own since-deleted Instagram Story Thursday night, one of which featured a zoomed-in photo of Lewis with the caption, “This is the most disturbing human being I have ever met.” Katherine then apparently shared a photo of her and her mom, mimicking Lewis’s caption: “Mom is here. We’re moving forward in love and strength after what Leah did to our family. Thank you all for the love and support!” David and Katherine share two young children.
According to Deadline, filming on Matlock’s second season continued following Del Rio’s removal. The show is set to premiere this Sunday, before going on a preplanned hiatus next week. The series, which also stars Kathy Bates and Jason Ritter, will resume airing after Thanksgiving. It’s unclear how Del Rio’s departure will impact the character he plays, first-year associate Billy Martinez, but Deadline predicts he’ll likely be written off.
The Cut has also reached out to Lewis for comment and will update this post if we hear back.
