Share and Follow
The second season of Matlock kicked off with promise until behind-the-scenes drama emerged involving allegations against David Del Rio regarding the sexual assault of his co-star Leah Lewis, resulting in his dismissal.
CBS reimagined the classic Matlock series by introducing a gender-swapped protagonist played by Kathy Bates. This new version presents a unique storyline featuring a fictional lawyer aiming to join a top-tier law firm, coincidentally sharing the last name with the iconic character from the 1980s. In a twist, the season premiere uncovers that Matty, portrayed by Bates, has been concealing her true identity.
Matty is, in fact, Madeline Kingston, a wealthy woman on a covert mission to uncover the truth behind her daughter’s death. Her investigation focuses on suspects such as Olympia (Skye P. Marshall), Julian (Jason Ritter), and Senior (Beau Bridges), who all might have had access to critical documents that could have prevented opioids from circulating, ultimately leading to her daughter’s overdose.
As Madeline’s plan to expose the corruption at Jacobson Moore unfolds, she unexpectedly becomes closer to her colleagues, including Olympia, Billy (Del Rio), and Sarah (Lewis), none of whom appear to suspect the firm’s wrongdoing.
Before the off-screen scandal, the show hinted at an intriguing paternity storyline for Billy in its second season. The popular CBS drama, which debuted in September 2024, centers around the affluent, retired lawyer Madeline Kingston (Kathy Bates) masquerading as the impoverished widow, Matty Matlock, as she seeks justice and truth.
Before season 2 returned in October, the cast teased upcoming story lines for each of their characters. Days before the premiere, news broke that Del Rio was fired following an investigation after Lewis accused him of sexual assault.
CBS took action after Lewis reported an incident by removing Del Rio from set and making plans to write Billy off the show. The stars of Matlock haven’t spoken out publicly on the scandal so far but many have subtly showed their support for Lewis, who released a statement.
Keep scrolling for an explainer of the scandal — including what comes next for Del Rio and the show:
The Key Players
Matlock introduced Us to Olympia’s first year associates in the season 1 premiere, with Sarah and Billy sharing the workload before Matty came into the picture. Sarah and Billy weathered some ups and downs in their friendship throughout the first season but ended on good terms in the finale.
“David Del Rio, who plays Billy, who plays kind of, like, my counterpart, I’ve learned so much about comedy from him,” Lewis exclusively told Us Weekly in September 2024. “He comes from a theater background, so it’s like we’re always dancing and twinkling around set.”
Lewis said Del Rio had “one of the largest personalities and skill sets that I’ve ever been able to work with. So, it’s been playtime.”
The Gist
After Matlock was quickly renewed for a second season, the cast reunited to start filming new episodes for the fall 2025-2026 TV season. They were halfway through production when news broke about Del Rio’s firing.
Deadline reported in October that an alleged incident involving Del Rio and Lewis took place one month prior. It was reported by the actress to CBS in early October and Del Rio was “fired and escorted off the lot the same day the alleged assault was reported.”
David Del Rio and Leah Lewis’ Matlock characters, Billy and Sarah, were a fan favorite duo on the CBS series before Del Rio was fired for allegedly sexually assaulting Lewis during the filming of season 2. Us Weekly confirmed in October 2025that Del Rio was no longer part of the Matlock cast after being accused […]
What Has Been Said
Del Rio has yet to address the scandal while his wife, Katherine Del Rio, posted Instagram Stories calling Lewis a “disturbing human being” before deleting them hours later.
After the alleged incident, the Matlock cast showed their support by unfollowing Del Rio on Instagram. Lewis, for her part, broke her silence by sharing a photo with her mother from set.
“Mom is here, we’re moving forward in love and strength. I’m in good hands,” she wrote via Instagram in October. “Thank you to everybody for any kind of support and care. Truly, we’re moving forward in strength. Key word, strength. Please, let that be the take away.”
What’s Next
Matlock was on hiatus from filming when news broke but production resumed on the second half of season 2 after Thanksgiving in November 2025. Del Rio’s Billy was written off after getting a larger arc in the first part of the season with an ongoing paternity surprise.
One day before the fall finale, Us confirmed that CBS has reopened its investigation into the incident. The network’s supplemental investigation concluded with CBS standing by its original decision to dismiss Del Rio from the show.
Del Rio’s attorney told Us in a March 2026 statement that the actor “initiated arbitration” against CBS Studios “to address false and misleading allegations that caused substantial professional and reputational harm.”
“At the arbitration, Mr. Del Rio will present real-time text communications and evidence that directly contradicts prior public characterizations of the interaction at issue. This evidence was not fully considered before adverse employment action was taken,” the statement continued. “Mr. Del Rio looks forward to resolving this matter through the appropriate legal forum and has faith that a full evidentiary review will establish the truth and restore his professional reputation.”