- CBS reopened its investigation into David Del Rio’s conduct on the set of Matlock and stood by its decision to fire the actor from the show.
- Del Rio was dismissed from the legal drama over an alleged incident in October.
- His character, Billy Martinez, was written out of the Matlock midseason finale and will not return to the show.
David Del Rio will not be returning to Matlock.
The actor behind Billy Martinez was dropped from the series after CBS investigated an alleged incident involving him — and now, after a supplemental investigation into the matter, the network is standing by its decision to keep him off the legal drama, Entertainment Weekly has learned.
A representative for Del Rio didn’t immediately respond to EW’s request for comment.
CBS declined to comment on the matter, citing a company policy of not discussing legal matters.
Del Rio was fired from the Kathy Bates-led drama in October, and the show continued production without him before going on a previously planned hiatus. His character was written out of subsequent episodes.
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The actor’s last appearance on the show came in the Dec. 4 episode “Prior Bad Acts.” In the next episode, the season 2 midseason finale “Call It a Christmas Gift,” Billy takes a “personal day” and does not appear on screen. Billy’s colleague, Sarah (played by Leah Lewis), talks to him on the phone as he reveals that his girlfriend, Claudia (Bella Ortiz), has had a miscarriage, suggesting that Billy will take time away from his responsibilities at the Jacobson Moore law firm.
In October, Deadline Hollywood reported that the incident in question concerned a sexual assault allegation involving Lewis. Neither Del Rio nor Lewis has publicly commented on the situation directly, though Lewis posted a vague statement on social media after Del Rio’s firing was reported.
“Mom is here, we’re moving forward in love and strength. I’m in good hands,” the actress wrote. “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.”
In December, Lewis posted a photo commemorating her return to production on the second half of Matlock season 2, which will premiere Feb. 26. “And we back up and running,” she wrote in a post on her Instagram Stories.
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The actress celebrated Matlock being renewed for a third season earlier this month, expressing her gratitude toward the show’s executive producers as well as “to the oodles of guest stars we’ve had come on this show and make it SO rich every single week, and to our hard working and incredible crew that is allllways showing up with even more warmth, professionalism and creativity every season.”
Matlock will return Thursday, Feb. 26, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.