‘Matlock’ Star Breaks Silence After Co-Star’s Firing Over Sexual Assault
“Matlock” actor David Del Rio was escorted from Paramount premises after the alleged incident was reported.
Emma McIntyre/Emma McIntyre/Variety via Getty Images
Matlock actress Leah Lewis has broken her silence following the reported firing of her co-star amid allegations that he sexually assaulted her.
“Mom is here, we’re moving forward in love and strength,” Lewis posted on her Instagram Story on Thursday. “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. Please, let that be the take away,” the 28-year-old wrote, sharing a photo of herself with her mom.
"Matlock" star Leah Lewis shared an Instagram story of the actress with her mother.
@leahmlewis/Instagram
On Thursday, sources told TMZ that actor David Del Rio, 38, was fired from the CBS legal drama and escorted off the Paramount premises the same day the sexual assault allegations against him were reported.
When contacted by the Daily Beast, CBS Studios declined to comment further but confirmed that David Del Rio had departed the series.
The alleged incident occurred in Lewis’ trailer on Sept. 26 and was reported on Oct. 2, according to Deadline.
David Del Rio starred as Billy Martinez in CBS' show Matlock.
CBS Photo Archive/Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Images
Lewis and Del Rio are both series regulars on the CBS show, which premieres its second season on Sunday. Their characters were often paired as the young members of the law firm, but Del Rio’s character will be written out of future episodes.
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After Lewis’ Instagram story was posted, Del Rio’s wife, Katherine Del Rio, with whom the actor shares two children, posted stories that have since been deleted but appeared to allude to Lewis.
The first story appears to zoom in on Lewis’s face and is captioned, “This is the most disturbing human I have ever met.”
Katherine Del Rio, wife of David Del Rio, posted Instagram stories in reference to Leah Lewis.
@katherinewdelrio/Instagram
The second story mimics Lewis’ post, showing a photo of Del Rio’s wife with her mom and a caption reading, “Mom is here. We are moving forward in love and strength after what Leah did to our family. Thank you all for the love and support,” according to screenshots shared by Page Six.
Del Rio has not yet publicly commented on the allegations against him. The Daily Beast has reached out to his team for a response.
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