{"id":1998,"date":"2026-06-17T17:07:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T17:07:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=1998"},"modified":"2026-06-17T17:07:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T17:07:28","slug":"matlock-writer-sues-cbs-over-allegedly-racist-and-sexual-comments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=1998","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Matlock\u2019 Writer Sues CBS Over Allegedly Racist and Sexual Comments"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<svg><\/svg> <span>Logo text<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n\tCBS Television Studios has been sued by a writer on <em>Matlock<\/em>, who accuses the show\u2019s top brass of directing disparaging sexual and racist comments at him and other Black cast and crew members.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=1996\">Lil Nas X Talks Improved Mental Health, Confirms New Music in the Works: \u201cI\u2019m Smelling the Roses\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe writer, John Lowe, alleges in a lawsuit filed on Wednesday in California state court that<em> Matlock<\/em>\u2018s showrunner and executive producers created a hostile work environment \u201cpermeated by sexually explicit and discriminatory conduct.\u201d He was terminated after allegedly reporting an incident in which his supervisor referred to Juneteenth as \u201cCoonteenth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s vicious in a writers room as a Black creative,\u201d Lowe claims, in an interview with <em>The Hollywood Reporter<\/em>. \u201cYou\u2019re either treated like a threat or a pet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe lawsuit names CBS Television Studios, <em>Matlock<\/em> showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman and executive producers Nicki Renna and Jeffrey Lieber. It seeks unspecified damages and brings claims for hostile work environment and failure to prevent harassment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n\t\u201cWe are committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment for everyone and take all workplace complaints seriously,\u201d said a CBS Studios spokesperson in a statement. \u201cIn this instance, a thorough investigation was completed, and we were unable to find support for his allegations. We look forward to defending this lawsuit.\u201d  \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Lowe was hired as an executive story editor for <em>Matlock<\/em> in October 2023 after a writing stint on Netflix\u2019s <em>Virgin River.<\/em> For years before that, he served in the casting department on several reality shows, including <em>Survivor, Project Runway<\/em> and <em>Under the Gun<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>\n\tUrman is cast as a central figure in the complaint alongside her lieutenants, Renna and Lieber.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tIn the lawsuit, Lowe details a series of sexual comments aimed at him that were also meant to be racially demeaning. He was told shortly after he started that his shoe size and race meant he was \u201cwell-endowed down there,\u201d one of several alleged comments about his sex life that included a question about \u201chow he handled a man\u2019s genitals,\u201d according to the complaint. <\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe lawsuit points to an incident in which Urman brought her dog into the writers\u2019 room, declaring that her children no longer wanted it. She coerced Lowe into keeping it for nearly a year, according to the complaint. The writer claims the demand was \u201cracially motivated harassment and an exercise of supervisory power designed to burden him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cShe said \u2018as long as you have this dog, you\u2019ll always have a place here,&#8217;\u201d Lowe says.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=1994\">\u2018Abbott Elementary\u2019 Star Janelle James, \u2018Happy Endings\u2019 Creator David Caspe Team for Hulu Comedy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe racially-charged comments allegedly reached the cast, according to the complaint. On one occasion, Renna allegedly stated that Eme Ikwuakor, a Black recurring cast member, \u201ccan barely read.\u201d In another incident, she allegedly called Lowe late at night and told him she was in bed wearing only her underwear, the lawsuit claims. <\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe situation reached a boiling point in June 2025 when Lowe asked Urman whether the writers\u2019 room would observe Juneteenth. She responded to him by calling the day \u201cCoonteenth,\u201d the lawsuit alleges.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cI had prayed for this moment \u2014 to be on a Paramount film set,\u201d says Lowe, who adds that he spent the subsequent work week crying in empty soundstages. \u201cShe said it on purpose as a way of letting me know that she owns me to a degree.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tShortly after, Lowe was placed on hiatus. He says he was terminated in July, less than two weeks after he raised concerns about the way in which the writers\u2019 room was being managed. The lawsuit alleges his firing was retaliatory.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cThere is no excuse for this blatant racism and harassment,\u201d said Ron Zambrano, a lawyer for Lowe, in a statement. \u201cCBS should be ashamed for allowing it, and the <em>Matlock<\/em>\u00a0showrunner and producers\u00a0should be held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Matlock<\/em> has been a breakout hit for CBS, averaging 16 million cross-platform viewers over 35 days in its first season. The series, a meta-update of the 1980s and \u201990s show featuring Andy Griffith, stars Kathy Bates as a lawyer who restarts her career at a New York firm, Leah Lewis, Skye P. Marshall and Jason Ritter.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe filing of the lawsuit comes after <em>Matlock<\/em> actor David Del Rio was abruptly fired from the production for sexual assault in an incident involving him and an unnamed female member of the cast.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tEarlier this year, Del Rio initiated arbitration against CBS Studios. He alleged that evidence undermining the allegations against him weren\u2019t fully considered before he was terminated.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=1992\">Why the \u2018Widow\u2019s Bay\u2019 Finale Is Not Emmy Eligible \u2014 But Its Breakout Performance Is on the Ballot<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>John Lowe claims the production&#8217;s showrunner and executive producers created a hostile work environment<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1997,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1651],"class_list":["post-1998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting","tag-matlock"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>\u2018Matlock\u2019 Writer Sues CBS Over Allegedly Racist and Sexual Comments - 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