Billy's Sudden Departure on 'Matlock' Is Due to Shocking Off-Screen Allegations

For fans of Matlock, the series is off to a strong start. It launched in 2023 and hit the ground running with an extraordinary cast, including the legendary Kathy Bates and Beau Bridges.

Other stars include Skye P. Marshall, Jason Ritter, Leah Lewis, Sam Anderson, and, up until 2025, David Del Rio.

Del Rio, who plays Billy Martinez, abruptly departed the show during its second season, leaving fans shocked and wondering what happened. Here's what we know about what happened to Billy and why his character was cut from the show.

Unfortunately for Billy fans, the character was forced to depart due to off-screen allegations against Del Rio. According to TMZ, it was alleged that Del Rio had assaulted co-star Leah Lewis, who plays Billy's colleague. The assault is said to have taken place on Paramount properties back in October 2025.

TMZ reports, "In the fall, Del Rio was escorted off the Paramount lot and canned the same day the complaint was lodged ... CBS Studios confirmed at the time his character, a lead in the series, would be written off."

By the middle of Season 2, they had done exactly that. Billy left abruptly due to a shocking personal reason, and fans were left stunned.

Del Rio hired a high-profile lawyer named Shawn Holley and vehemently denied the allegations. However, it seems as though CBS found them credible enough to cut Billy out.

Unfortunately for fans of Billy, his abrupt departure from the show was out of their hands. In December 2025, showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman confirmed the production team's decision with Variety.

She explained, “I’ll just say there were creative changes that we had to make, and we made them. We’re ending up in a different place than what our plans were, but we really stopped and tried to think about how we can have an exit that makes sense in the world of our show and for the character.”

The showrunner added ahead of the Season 2 mid-season finale, "His exit will be explained in the course of the next two episodes, and it is really in line with the character and in line with what’s happening with the firm at large. We want to remain true to the character.”

Jennie said she was "not able to discuss the events” concerning the allegations made against Del Rio that led to his firing. However, she added, "We just sort of plugged in and kept moving forward. We’re just all happy to be back and focused on the work. I think that’s the thing — we want the show to be great. We want it to be joyful for the audience to watch.”

Billy took a leave of absence from work after it was revealed his girlfriend had a miscarriage. While there are still questions about Billy's fate, it seems that fans will have to wait for a more solid answer.