CBS Television Studios facing new Matlock lawsuit over racial discrimination

Lowe alleges that he was fired in 2025 after he reported Urman for referring to the holiday Juneteenth as “coonteenth.” He says he was fired less than two weeks after raising the concern, which he calls retaliatory. 

Lowe was hired to work on Matlock in October 2023 and says that shortly after being hired, he was subject to comments about being “well-endowed down there” because of his race and shoe size, and was asked, “how he handled a man’s genitals.” In one bizarre instance, Lowe says that Urman brought her dog into the writers’ room and coerced Lowe into keeping it for a year, with Urman allegedly saying, “As long as you have this dog, you’ll always have a place here.” Lowe calls that alleged incident “racially motivated harassment and an exercise of supervisory power designed to burden him.” Lowe also alleges that Renna claimed that recurring Black cast member Eme Ikwuakor “can barely read” and that Renna called him late at night, informing him that she was in bed wearing only underwear. 

In a statement to THR, a CBS Studios spokesperson said, “We are committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment for everyone and take all workplace complaints seriously. In this instance, a thorough investigation was completed, and we were unable to find support for his allegations. We look forward to defending this lawsuit.” 

This is the second lawsuit CBS has faced this year relating to the behind-the-scenes goings-on at Matlock. In March, actor David Del Rio filed an arbitration claim against the network, alleging that CBS “caused substantial professional and reputational harm” when it fired him. Del Rio was fired in October 2025 after his co-star, Leah Lewis, accused him of sexual assault.