What Happened Between Danielle Fishel and Maitland Ward? Here’s When theBoy Meets WorldStars’ Feud Began — and How Ben Savage Ties In

Mar. 15, 2025

Danielle Fishel ; Maitland Ward.Photo:Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty; Robert F. Smith/Getty

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty; Robert F. Smith/Getty

Drama betweenBoy Meets WorldstarsDanielle FishelandMaitland Wardhas been seemingly brewing behind the scenes since the ABC show ended in 2000.

The pairaddressed their alleged beefon a Feb. 24 episode ofPod Meets World— aBoy Meets Worldrewatch podcast Fishel hosts alongside her former costarsRider StrongandWill Friedle. Ward worked alongside the trio for two seasons on the coming-of-age sitcom.

Roughly an hour into the episode, Fishel moved the conversation in a serious direction, asking Ward, “Do you hate us?”

Ward denied this sentiment but accused the actress of unfriending her on Facebook and ignoring her on the set ofGirls Meets Worldin 2014. She went on to chalk up Fishel’s behavior to jealousy, considering Ward was getting “a lot of attention at that time” for transitioning from acting to the adult film industry.

Fishel attempted to convince Ward that it was all a misunderstanding — one she had hoped they could have cleared up off-air, rather than in a public forum. During their discussion, Ward also brought up former costarBen Savage, who stopped talking to the cast in 2020 with no apparent warning.

Here’s everything to know about Danielle Fishel and Maitland Ward’s rumored feud, including why Ben Savage’s absence was part of their conversation.

When did Danielle Fishel and Maitland Ward work together?

‘Boy Meets World.’ From left: Matthew Lawrence, Maitland Ward, Will Friedle, Danielle Fishel, Ben Savage and Rider Strong in 2000.ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

The actresses were both featured onBoy Meets Worldfor two seasons.

Fishel played Topanga Lawrence throughout the show’s entirety, while Ward, who joined the cast for seasons 6 and 7, portrayed Rachel McGuire. According to both women, they weren’t close friends while working together.

After the series ended in 2000, the pair didn’t see or speak to each other again until Ward’s wedding in 2006, Fishel recalled onPod Meets World.

Their next interaction took place in 2014 when Ward visited the set ofGirl Meets World— a spinoff ofBoy Meets World, which ran for three seasons and followed Topanga and Cory Matthews (Savage) as they raised their children. Ward did not appear on the show.

What did Maitland Ward say about Danielle Fishel afterBoy Meets World?

Left to right: Maitland Ward, Danielle Fishel, Trina McGee.ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Over the years, Ward has been candid about her relationship with Fishel in interviews and her book,Rated X: How Porn Liberated Me from Hollywood, which was published in 2022.

“Danielle does not like me. I think it has to do with the sexier stuff,” she toldTMZin September of that year before claiming that Fishel unfriended her on Facebook.

Ward discovered they were no longer friends on the social media platform back in 2013 when she attempted to reach out to Fishel ahead of her wedding toTim Belusko.

“I wrote her a note to say congratulations, you’re gonna be beautiful. She didn’t respond to it,” Ward recalled.

Fishel later addressed the miscommunication when Ward appeared onPod Meets Worldin February 2025.

“I did not unfriend you on Facebook. I truly don’t know how that happened. I’m not a Facebook person. I barely ever use Facebook,” she said, explaining that she never even saw the message.

What happened between Danielle Fishel and Maitland Ward onPod Meets World?

Rider Strong, Danielle Fishel, and Will Friedle attend the 2022 iHeartRadio Wango Tango on June 04, 2022 in Carson, California.Jon Kopaloff/Getty

Jon Kopaloff/Getty

In addition to openly discussing the Facebook mixup, Ward accused Fishel of being rude to her when she visited the set ofGirl Meets Worldin 2014.

“I think that you hate me because you wouldn’t speak to me when we’d go to theGirl Meets World[set] and that was hurtful,” Ward explained.

Fishel responded, “I don’t feel as though I was not good with you, but I definitely didn’t have a relationship with you that was like, ‘Oh my gosh, my long lost friend Maitland.’ "

The actress explained that her demeanor was likely due to working on a “very difficult set” where she felt very “ostracized [and] criticized.”

Things got increasingly tense when Ward said she believed Fishel, Strong and Friedle “hated” their estranged costar Savage andBoy Meets WorldcreatorMichael Jacobs.

“We absolutely do not hate either of them,” Fishel said.

“I can’t stand the fact that [Ben] won’t speak to us,” Friedle added.

Why did Ben Savage stop talking to theBoy Meets Worldcast?

‘Boy Meets World’.ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

After nearly a decade of working together onBoy Meets Worldand its spinoff, Fishel toldVarietyin June 2023 that she and the rest of the cast had lost contact with Savage. According to the actress, he stopped speaking to them in 2020 without warning.

“He just kind of disappeared from our lives,” Fishel said, adding that Savage was supportive whenher older sonwas born early in 2019. “We were just so, so close, especially during that time. He was checking in with me regularly.”

“He ghosted us,” she added.

In the same interview, Friedle opened up about the “sore subject” that he was still trying to come to terms with. Friedle and Savage starred together in the original show and its spinoff, in which they played brothers Eric and Cory Matthews, respectively.

“I wish I knew why, to this day,” he told the outlet. “We didn’t have a fight. There’s no falling out. There was no animosity. He just woke up one day, and decided ‘I don’t want this person in my life anymore.’ “

Friedle explained that he didn’t give up easily and let Savage know that, but he never got a response. “I tried and tried and tried for months,” he said.

Fast forward to February 2025, Maitland touched on the topic during her discussion with Fishel onPod Meets World. Both Fishel and Friedle disputed that they “hated” Savage, with the latter revealing that there was still no communication between them.

“Ben is one of the most important peopleI’ve ever met in my life, and I can’t stand the fact that he won’t speak to us,” Friedle said. “He won’t speak to us. I can show you the last three years, literally, of messages. And in the middle of a conversation with Ben, he just bailed on me.”

Savage appears to have stepped away from acting and instead, he has expressed interest in government,running for Congressin 2023. He also marriedhis wife Tessa Angermeierthat same year. Savage has yet to comment on his relationship with his former costars.

Where do Danielle Fishel and Maitland Ward stand now?

Danielle Fishel ; Maitland Ward.Michael TRAN / AFP; Gabe Ginsberg/Getty

Michael TRAN / AFP; Gabe Ginsberg/Getty

The former costars ended the podcast on a fairly neutral note. Fishel thanked Ward for her time and suggested she return for another episode.

Once Ward had signed off, Fishel expressed some resentment toward her for wanting to air out their grievances on the podcast. Ward was said to have turned down a private phone call with Fishel in favor of using their conflict to “rock the stats” and drum up press.

After the podcast aired, Ward spoke withToo Fababout the confrontation.

source: people.com