‘Matlock’ star speaks out after David Del Rio’s firing

Leah Lewis is speaking out.

The “Matlock” star has taken to social media after it was reported that David Del Rio was fired from the CBS legal drama due to an alleged sexual assault incident involving her.

“Mom is here, we’re moving forward in love and strength. I’m in good hands,” Lewis, 28, shared on her Instagram Stories on Thursday, Oct. 9. “Thank you to everybody for any kind of support and care.”

“Truly, we’re moving forward in strength. Key word, strength,” she added alongside a photo with her mom. “Please, let that be the takeaway.”

Hours before Lewis took to Instagram, it was reported that her now-former “Matlock” co-star, Del Rio, 38, had been booted from the Kathy Bates-led series because of a sexual assault allegation against him.

Insiders told Deadline that the alleged incident occurred on Sept. 26 and involved Lewis, who was said to have reported the purported incident on Oct. 2. Del Rio was reportedly axed and escorted off the lot that same day after CBS launched an investigation into the matter.

CBS Studios declined The Post’s request for comment, but confirmed that Del Rio has departed the series.

Other sources, meanwhile, told The Post that Del Rio’s “Matlock” character will be written out of future episodes following his exit – although he will still appear in episodes that were already completed before the alleged incident was reported.

The hit series also continued filming after Del Rio’s departure, and it will still take a pre-planned hiatus in October and November after completion of the first half of its current second season.

The Post reached out to Lewis’ rep for comment.

Lewis stars in the Dean Hargrove-created show as Sarah Franklin, a first-year associate at the fictitious Jacobson Moore law firm.

Del Río, before his recent departure, portrayed Billy Martínez in the popular reboot, another first-year associate at Jacobson Moore.

“Matlock” showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman had opened up about Del Rio’s character back in August. She shared that he would have a more prominent role in the show’s second season, which kicks off Sunday, Oct. 12.

“I think of this show as a story about friendship romances, those people that come into your life that are maybe even more significant than your romantic partner, and it does come with certain challenges for other people in their lives,” Urman told Entertainment Weekly only a few weeks before Del Rio’s departure.

“Matty and Olympia have that, and Sarah and Billy unexpectedly started to really feel that towards each other, too,” she added regarding Bates’ character’s relationship with Skye P. Marshall’s character and Del Rio’s with Lewis’.

The “Matlock” reboot, which premiered on CBS in September 2024, is a gender-flipped remake of the original 1986 to 1995 legal drama series that starred Andy Griffith.

Bates, 77, stars in the titular role as Madeline “Matty” Matlock alongside Marshall, Lewis and Jason Ritter (Julian Markston).