The “Boy Meets World” stars have opened up about their strained relationship with Ben Savage.
In an interview with Variety, Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong and Will Friedle said their former co-star stopped talking to them out of the blue and they haven’t spoken to him in years.
This past June, the trio, who played Topanga Lawrence, Shawn Hunter, and Eric Matthews, respectively, reunited for «Pod Meets World,» a podcast in which they rewatch their show while sharing their memories of the set. The actors told the outlet that they had originally asked Savage, who played lead Cory Matthews, to be a part of it.
“He was very convinced it wasn’t for him,” Fishel said. “He was also very clear: ‘I don’t want that to stop you. If they want to do it, go ahead. The time between those conversations and the time we started the podcast was a significant amount of time.»
“Boy Meets World” ran for seven seasons from 1993 to 2000. The actors were just kids when they starred in the coming-of-age series. They would later reunite for «Girl Meets World,» a Disney Channel spin-off that ran from 2014 to 2017.
Fishel said that during that time and afterward they would do conventions together before Savage stopped attending.
“He just disappeared from our lives,” she said, sharing how her on-screen ex-husband supported her while their first child was in the NICU in June 2019. “We were so, so close, especially during that time. She consulted me regularly ”.
Shortly after that, she said, «He outshone us.»
Fishel, Strong and Friedle said they haven’t spoken to Savage in three years, despite Friedle’s best efforts.
A representative for Savage did not immediately respond to TODAY.com’s request for comment.
«It disappeared, I wish I knew why, to this day,» Friedle said. “We didn’t have a fight. There is no fight. There was no animosity. He just woke up one day and decided he didn’t want this person in my life anymore.»
He added: «I finally sent a text saying, ‘I’ve known you for 30 years, what’s going on?’ I told him: ‘I’ll call you every day until you tell me not to call you anymore.’ That lasted for about three weeks or a month, every day.”
Friedle called it a «sore subject» because she has known Savage since she was 11 years old «and we have a shared history.»
“And we were doing these conventions together, and we were getting to know each other as adults, and then he just said, ‘I’m done with you,’” she said. “I tried and tried and tried for months, until finally, my wife said, ‘Why are you doing this to yourself? Obviously she doesn’t want you in her life.’”
After “Girl Meets World” ended, Savage appeared in a handful of movies and TV shows. His latest acting credit is the 2022 Lifetime movie «Girl in the Shed: The Kidnapping of Abby Hernandez.» In March of this year, the actor, who got engaged in January, announced that He was running for Congress.
«If there’s one thing this podcast has taught me, it’s that everyone is on their own journey and has their own experiences that can be perceived in many different ways, depending on their point of view,» Fishel told the magazine. “Speaking for myself, Ben and I may be apart right now and we may have our grievances about each other, but I will always love Ben and want the best for him. I don’t think this is the end of our story, but time will tell.»
Meanwhile, Savage isn’t the only star to drop appearances on «Pod Meets World.» The actors revealed that Will Estes and Keri Russell have said no.
They also have a list of people they’d like to invite to their podcast, including Mena Suvari, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Andrew Keegan, and former «Home Improvement» star Jonathan Taylor Thomas.
“He is such a reserved person. We still text. I haven’t asked him because I’m very respectful of his private life,» Fishel said of the former teen heartthrob known as JTT. “I have been very hesitant because I know how reserved he is, but we would love to have Jonathan, he would be a great guest. I will ask.»
The three actors have had quite a journey from when they first set foot on the set of “Boy Meets World” until now. In August 2022, Fishel, Strong, and Friedle spoke to TODAY.com about wanting to disassociate himself from the show after they broke up.
As Fishel said «Goodbye and have a good trip!» after the final episode and Strong was «ready to leave the show early», Friedle said that she «loved everything about it».
However, he explained that the age difference with his co-stars was a reason for having a different experience on set. “When you’re 12 and when you’re 16, you might as well be two different species. It’s such a different time,” Friedle said. «That makes a big difference.»