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CBS‘ Matlock is going to tribunal for existent pinch a suit from a erstwhile writer connected nan Kathy Bates-led bid who claims he was axed aft raising concerns astir alleged racist and intersexual comments made by showrunner Jennie Synder Urman.
In a title revenge coming successful Los Angeles Superior Court seeking unspecified damages (read it here), manufacture vet John Lowe says Urmqn and producers connected nan revived crime classical allowed “sexual explicited and discriminatory conduct” to fester. Citing precocious nighttime calls from Urman successful her underwear, a cognition of indentured servitude and references to nan Juneteenth vacation arsenic “Coonteenth” by nan EP, Lowe states he was suddey fired successful July past year.
Casting section alum Lowe had primitively been hired connected Matlock backmost successful October 2023 arsenic an executive communicative editor. In nan suit, which names CBS TV Studios, Matlock EPs Nicki Renna and Jeffrey Lieber arsenic defendants arsenic good arsenic Urman, Lowe says he was pressured to return a canine of nan showrunner’s pinch nan accusation that his occupation depended connected it.
However, based connected today’s proximity to this year’s Juneteenth, nan allegedly profoundly violative remarks astir nan vacation commemorating nan extremity of slavery ion America resonate greatly.
On aliases astir June 19, 2025, erstwhile Plaintiff asked whether Defendants would observe nan Juneteenth holiday, Snyder responded by calling nan time “Coonteenth”, utilizing nan racist slur “Coon” (which has roots to nan antebellum South to mention to Black group arsenic lazy, large and/or deceitful) to demean and minimize a vacation that specifically commemorates nan announcement of nan extremity of slavery successful 1865. This perfectly shocked Plaintiffs and those colleagues wrong earshot.
Along pinch claims of attaqcks connected him personally while workjing astatine Matlock, Lowe says nan EP took verbal swings astatine different staffers connected nan show, including cast.
“In addition, and while nary casting review, capacity evaluation, book chat aliases accumulation determination was underway, Renna made a racially and sexually derogatory remark astir Black formed personnel Erne Ikwuakor (an African American), stating “Erne tin hardly read” and “Eme’s [big achromatic cock] saves him,” says nan three-claim, 11-page lawsuit. “This remark was not made successful relationship pinch immoderate morganatic casting, creative, aliases accumulation function; it was a gratuitous group epithet that demeaned Ikwuakor based connected his title and that Plaintiff, of nan aforesaid race, witnessed and recovered profoundly offensive.”
After Lowe’s exit from Matlock, CBS conducted a probe into his concerns, I’ve learned. The results of that soul investigation are not known, but Lowe intelligibly was not pleased pinch really it went.
CBS issued a connection today, saying: “We are committed to maintaining a safe and respectful situation for everyone and return each workplace complaints seriously. In this instance, a thorough investigation was completed, and we were incapable to find support for his allegations. We look guardant to vigorously defending this lawsuit.”
A large deed for CBS since it launched successful September 2024, this caller type of nan Andy Griffith-starring ineligible play has recovered itself embroiled successful contention before. Series regular David Del Rio exited nan show abruptly successful October pursuing an investigation into a intersexual battle allegation. Sources told Deadline astatine nan clip that nan alleged incident occurred September 26 successful a trailer and progressive chap Matlock bid regular Leah Lewis.
A study of nan incident triggered contiguous action by nan series’ producers and an soul investigation by CBS Studio, resulting successful Del Rio being fired and escorted disconnected nan Paramount batch nan aforesaid time nan alleged battle was reported.
Erik Pedersen and Denise Petski contributed to this report.
