- - How “Matlock” addresses David Del Rio's absence with a shocking twist after actor's firing for alleged sexual assault

Wesley StenzelDecember 12, 2025 at 3:00 AM

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Sonja Flemming/CBS

David Del Rio on 'Matlock'

David Del Rio's time on Matlock has come to an end.

CBS dismissed the actor behind Billy Martinez from the legal drama in October after the network received a report of an incident involving him, Entertainment Weekly previously reported. Now, Del Rio's tenure on the series has officially ended, as the show addressed his character's departure in the Dec. 11 episode "Call It a Christmas Gift."

In the midseason finale, Billy's absence from the Jacobson Moore office is almost immediately acknowledged, as his friend and confidant, Sarah (Leah Lewis), briefly mentions that the young lawyer is taking a "personal day," forcing her to pick up his slack while assisting Olympia (Skye P. Marshall) with a case.

Sonja Flemming/CBS

Kathy Bates, David Del Rio, Leah Lewis, and Skye P. Marshall on 'Matlock'

Shortly thereafter, Sarah calls Billy to ask for advice about whether or not she should tell Olympia that she snuck a peek at a datebook belonging to her ex-husband, Julian (Jason Ritter), on behalf of Julian's dad, Howard "Senior" Markston (Beau Bridges).

"Hey, Billy, I hope you're okay," Sarah says in a voice message. "I don't wanna bother you, I don't wanna pry, but Olympia just said that she trusts me, and I'm kinda spinning out about the Julian datebook thing."

Sarah ultimately elects to delete her message after Billy doesn't pick up.

Later in the episode, Billy makes an emotional phone call to Sarah, though we only hear the latter's side of the conversation, since Del Rio does not appear in the episode in any capacity.

Sonja Flemming/CBS

Kathy Bates, Leah Lewis, and David Del Rio on 'Matlock'

"Billy, hi, so much to talk about," Sarah says. "But first, how was your day? It was so weird not knowing what was happening with you."

Sarah gives a concerned look, as the conversation pivots toward a dark development involving Billy's girlfriend, Claudia (Bella Ortiz), who announced her pregnancy at the end of season 1.

"A miscarriage? Oh, no, no, no. Oh, I'm so sorry," Sarah says. "Yeah, I can imagine. Send her my love. My day? It was fine, no, nothing important to talk about. I'm just so sad that this happened."

That's the last we hear of Billy in the episode, and Sarah later chooses to reject his previous advice and tells Olympia about her reluctant act of espionage — which prompts Olympia to say she's relocating Sarah to a new team, as she can no longer trust her as an employee.

Del Rio was dismissed from Matlock in the middle of production in early October after CBS launched an investigation into an incident involving him. The show continued filming without him, then took a pre-planned hiatus after finishing production on the last batch of 2025 episodes. Season 2 will continue in 2026 without Billy, whom EW previously learned would be written out of the show rather than recast.

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Deadline Hollywood reported in October that the incident concerned a sexual assault allegation involving Lewis, and TMZ reported this week that CBS has reopened its investigation into the incident. The network declined to comment to EW regarding the current status of the investigation, and an attorney for Del Rio didn't respond to request for comment.

Neither Del Rio nor Lewis has directly addressed the situation, though Lewis posted a vague statement after Del Rio's firing was publicized.

"Mom is here, we're moving forward in love and strength. I'm in good hands," the actress wrote on social media. "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."

Last week, Lewis posted a photo commemorating her return to production on the second half of Matlock season 2. "And we back up and running," she wrote on her Instagram Stories.

on Entertainment Weekly

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”