Leah Lewis is happy to be back home on the Matlock set.
The 28-year-old rising star, who portrays first-year associate Sarah Franklin on the Kathy Bates-led legal procedural, shared a smiling photo to her Instagram stories from the set of the show on Monday. ““[Matlock] ❤️And we back up and running,” she wrote in the caption.
Lewis’ sunny update follows a stormy period in the show’s brief history, which saw Lewis’ frequent scene partner David Del Rio fired in the wake of an allegation of sexual assault.
Leah Lewis/Instagram
Leah Lewis on Instagram
Entertainment Weekly learned in early October that Del Rio, who played Lewis’ co-associate Billy Martinez, was let go from the series after production received a report alleging misconduct on his part. CBS subsequently conducted an investigation into Del Rio’s behavior, resulting in his termination.
Season 1 of the twisty riff on the classic Andy Griffith series of the same name aired its finale in April. Production was in full swing on the second season when the allegation was leveled against Del Rio. The series continued filming after his exit, meaning the actor appears in several episodes of the second season, currently airing on CBS and Paramount. But Del Rio’s character will be written out of future episodes.
PEOPLE reported in October that Lewis was the victim of Del Rio’s alleged assault.
Lewis has not directly commented on the alleged assault or Del Rio’s subsequent termination, but did share a reaction to the news of his departure on her Instagram.
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“Mom is here, we’re moving forward in love and strength. I’m in good hands,” she wrote in the caption of a photo of the actress hugging her mother. “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.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
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