Cancelled actor David Del Rio went from a starring role on the hit Kathy Bates series Matlock to being unceremoniously booted from the set after he was accused of sexual assault by Leah Lewis, his 28-year-old costar, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Now, Del Rio, 38, is furious that his former castmates have shunned him without hearing his side of the story, sources said.
After an internal investigation into Lewis’ allegations that Del Rio assaulted her in her trailer on September 26, he was fired and escorted off the studio lot on the same day.
Fired And Booted Off Set
Kathy Bates and Jason Ritter have ‘cut ties with David Del Rio after his on-set scandal.’
The fallen star said he finds himself abandoned by his former coworkers, a source told RadarOnline.com.
“Kathy refuses to take his calls, even though they worked 12-hour days together for more than a year, and his costar Jason Ritter, who is likely to get more screen time now that Del Rio is banished, has shut him out as well,” the source shared.
“It really angers him his costars don’t want to hear his side of things. They’ve already convicted him.”
Wife Comes To His Defense
Katherine Del Rio publicly defended her husband on Instagram amid Leah Lewis’ assault accusations.
Del Rio has not commented publicly on the allegations, although his wife of seven years, Katherine Del Rio, has not hesitated to go on the attack.
She ripped Lewis on Instagram, writing, “This is the most disturbing human being I have ever met.”
And while David, who shares two young daughters with Katherine, fears being blackballed from Hollywood forever after Lewis’ accusations, it’s also left Matlock, which was the third-most-watched broadcast series last season, in the lurch, another source revealed.
Producers Left Scrambling
Producers may recast David’s role on ‘Matlock’ as Bates supports the show’s rewrite plan.
“David’s character, Billy Hamilton, has a very big storyline in the show’s second season,” the insider said. “They’ve already shot the first half of season 2 and the cast and crew are set to shoot the remaining episodes in December.”
“It’s going to be hell trying to tear up the scripts and explain Billy’s absence,” the tipster said. “There have even been thoughts of recasting David’s character to keep the storylines intact.”
That plan has gotten a thumbs-up from the series’ star.
“Kathy actually replaced Annie O’Donnell as Amy Farrah Fowler’s mom on The Big Bang Theory a few years ago,” the source added.
