Cliff Notes – Matlock actor David Del Rio fired from series after sexual assault allegation
- David Del Rio has been fired from CBS’s Matlock following an alleged sexual assault incident involving a co-star, with CBS confirming his departure from the series.
- Del Rio’s character, Billy Martinez, will be written out of future episodes after he was escorted off set on October 2, the same day the allegation was reported.
- The series, which stars Kathy Bates, is set to resume production in November after a planned hiatus, with its second season premiering on October 12.
Matlock actor David Del Rio fired from series after ‘sexual assault allegation’
David Del Rio was fired from Matlock and has been written out of future episodes (Picture: Emma McIntyre/Variety via Getty Images)
David Del Rio has been fired from CBS legal drama Matlock after an alleged sexual assault.
CBS Studios is declining comment but has confirmed to Metro that Del Rio, 38, has departed the series.
An investigation was conducted and CBS have since parted ways with the actor, known for other roles in Pitch Perfect and The Baker and the Beauty.
His character of Billy Martinez – a first-year associate at law firm Jacobson Moore – who he’s played in 19 episodes, will be written out of the series for future episodes, which will continue to star Kathy Bates as the titular character.
Matlock has a pre-planned hiatus in October and November upon completion of the first half of the season, which is premiering on October 12 on CBS.
Production is slated to resume in November.
The CBS legal drama is due to resume for season two in a matter of days (Picture: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
David Del Rio played Billy Martinez in Matlock for 19 episodes (Picture: Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Images)
According to sources, the alleged incident occurred September 26 and involved fellow Matlock co-star, as per Deadline.
The outlet report Del Rio was fired and escorted off set on the same day the alleged assault was reported on October 2.
According to the publication’s sources, Matlock executive producer Eric Christian Olsen was among those who led him out.
In season one episode three, Matlock tackled the topic of sexual assault, exploring the case of a young lawyer who claims she was assaulted by her boss.
Created by Jennie Snyder Urman as a reboot of the 1980s and ’90s show, Matlock proved itself a breakout hit for CBS in its first season.
He starred in the series alongside Kathy Bates, who played the titular character (Picture: Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Images)
He has not responded to the allegation yet (Picure: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic)
Jennie Snyder Urman created the series and executive produces with Joanna Klein, Eric Christian Olsen, Amanda Tudesco, Nicki Renna, Jeffrey Lieber, Kat Coiro and Bates.
Kathy Bates stars as Madeline ‘Matty’ Matlock, a lawyer who has come out of retirement and claimed to be an inexperienced, widowed, ex-lawyer in need of money, but turns out to be much more than that.
The series also stars Skye P Marshall, Jason Ritter and Leah Lewis, and returns after the original mystery legal drama series, which saw Andy Griffith play criminal defense lawyer Ben Matlock for nine seasons between 1986 and 1995.
Del Rio’s other acting credits include starring as Ben in 2022 TV series Maggie; as another Ben in one episode of The Good Doctor in 2021, and he reprised his role of Manny in A California Christmas: City Lights in 2021 a year after the original film.
Elsewhere he appeared in The Baker and the Beauty as Mateo Garcia in nine episodes of the 2020 series, and was Putzie in the TV film Grease Live!.
Metro has reached out to representatives of David Del Rio.
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