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Del Rio was allegedly escorted off the ‘Matlock’ set during filming in early October following an internal investigation into the incident.
WASHINGTON — Actor David Del Rio has reportedly been abruptly fired from the legal drama “Matlock” after being accused of sexual assault.
According to reporting by Deadline and People, Del Rio was allegedly involved in a sexual assault incident on Sept. 26 involving fellow cast member Leah Lewis.
Both were series regulars on the show. The CBS weekly drama is a gender-swap reboot of the classic 1980s show of the same name, focused on the legal adventures of Madeline “Matty” Matlock.
USA Today, citing sources close to the production, said Del Rio’s exit came after CBS Studios, which produces the show, launched an investigation into the matter.
Del Rio was allegedly escorted off the set during filming early in October after the internal investigation concluded. Deadline reported that Matlock’s executive producer Eric Christian Olsen was among those who led him away.
Del Rio played attorney Billy Martinez in the legal procedural.
Leah Lewis, who plays Sarah Franklin, posted a now-deleted Instagram Story shortly after news broke about the alleged assault, saying she was “moving forward” after the incident.
The story included a picture of Lewis with her mother.
“Mom is here, we’re moving forward in love and strength. I’m in good hands,” she wrote on the photo. “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 takeaway.”
Del Rio has yet to publicly comment on his firing or the alleged assault.
According to Deadline, Thursday night, the Instagram account belonging to his wife, chef and actress Katherine Del Rio, posted a zoomed-in photo of Lewis, along with the caption “This is the most disturbing human being I have ever met.”
The post was deleted shortly after.
She also reportedly posted a Instagram Story that mirrored Lewis’ post, mentioning Lewis by name and blaming her for what “Leah did to our family.”
The photo of Katherine Del Rio and her mother was posted with the 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!”
That post was also deleted shortly after it went up.
“Matlock” will premiere its second season on Sunday, Oct. 12, at 8:30 p.m. ET. It then shifts to its regular Thursday 9 p.m. ET timeslot on Oct. 16.
