Matlock fires a character over sexual assault violations just days ahead of Season 2 release

Just days before Matlock’s new season, the courtroom drama found itself inside a real-life investigation. David Del Rio, known for playing Billy Martinez, was fired after an internal inquiry into an alleged sexual assault involving co-star Leah Lewis. The incident, reported to have taken place on September 26, reached CBS Studios within hours, prompting swift action from the team behind the series.

After an internal review, the studio decided to terminate Del Rio’s contract and remove him from the production entirely. The dismissal reportedly took place on October 2, with executive producer Eric Christian Olsen personally escorting the actor off the lot.

Filming for Mattlock moved forward, but the atmosphere on set shifted overnight. Writers were forced to scrap and reimagine scenes tied to Del Rio’s character, a process that has stretched across departments as producers race to keep the season coherent.

With the first half of production wrapping this week, the planned hiatus has become an emergency window for rewrites and schedule reshuffling. The show is still expected to meet its October 12 premiere date, though insiders say the impact of the firing continues to ripple quietly through the cast and crew.

A message from Leah Lewis

Hours after Deadline broke the story, Leah Lewis shared a public message that struck a tone of strength and gratitude. Posting a photo with her mother on her stories on Instagram, she wrote,

“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.”

Her message didn’t take long to travel across timelines and headlines. Within hours, her post became a gathering point where friends, colleagues, and fans left words of care instead of commentary. It was brief but steady, the kind of note that steadies a room.

Leah Lewis, whose presence had been one of the show’s brightest discoveries, now faces a very different kind of attention. Her call for strength carried through the noise, turning into something that felt less like a statement and more like a boundary, calm, firm, and unmistakably her own.

Inside Matlock’s world

In its new form, Matlock transforms the old courtroom formula into something sharper and more psychological. Kathy Bates embodies Madeline “Matty” Matlock, a veteran lawyer whose return to practice hides motives as complex as her cases. The series moves between legal intrigue and the personal fault lines of its characters, brought to life by an ensemble that includes Skye P. Marshall, Jason Ritter, and Leah Lewis.

Billy Martinez, played by David Del Rio, was written to steady the chaos around him, a young lawyer whose ambition still left room for conscience. Over the course of the season, his drive was meant to collide with questions of loyalty and power inside the firm. His departure cuts through the show’s structure, altering its rhythm and forcing the writers to rebuild its emotional core while production keeps moving.

Scripts built around his loyalty arcs must now be reshaped on the fly, a costly and delicate process for a network series already deep into production.

The weight of timing and irony

The controversy arrives at a crucial moment for CBS, as Matlock was being promoted as one of the network’s prestige fall dramas. Its upcoming second season was expected to deepen the storylines that helped the reboot find critical traction and a loyal audience last year. Instead, the show is now caught between maintaining momentum and managing the fallout of an off-screen crisis.

The situation also carries a deep (and sad) irony. In its first season, Matlock devoted an entire episode to the subject of sexual assault, centering on a young lawyer who accused her boss of misconduct. The episode was widely praised for its nuance and restraint, qualities that now clash with the unsettling reality unfolding within the production itself.

When fiction collides with reality

CBS Studios hasn’t released an official statement, but people close to the production of Matlock described the decision as swift and absolute. Within days of the report, the studio and producers agreed that Del Rio had to be removed, a choice that mirrored the industry’s growing refusal to protect reputations at the cost of safety. What began as a quiet internal review became a defining moment for a series built on questions of right and wrong.

The investigation may be over, but its shadow still hangs over the set of Matlock. Writers are rewriting, actors are recalibrating, and the tone of the production has changed in ways that can’t be undone. Matlock was always a show about truth, justice, and the moral weight of power, and now those themes have crossed into its reality. The courtroom drama has become a mirror, reflecting the discomfort of accountability that no script can control.

As Mattlock prepares to return, what once played as fiction now feels like confession. The fight for justice is no longer confined to the courtroom, and for everyone involved, the verdict will come not from the judge, but from the audience watching.

Matlock Season 2 premieres October 12 on CBS and Paramount+.