When a trio of “Boy Meets World” actors launched a rewatch podcast in 2022, listeners were baffled by the absence of the beloved sitcom’s star, Ben Savage. The aggrieved hosts have now dropped the bombshell that Savage “ghosted” them — three entire years ago.
“He disappeared — I wish I knew why, to this day,” Will Friedle told Variety in an interview published Friday. “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.”
“I finally sent a text saying, ‘I’ve known you for 30 years, what’s going on?’” Friedle continued about his former co-star. “I said, ‘I’m gonna call you every day until you tell me not to call you anymore.’ That lasted about three weeks or a month, every single day.”
Friedle was understandably upset after essentially coming of age alongside Savage and playing his brother on the 1990s show. Friedle said he “tried and tried for months” to mend their sudden estrangement, but his wife calmingly urged Friedle to stop.
His co-host Danielle Fishel, who played Savage’s love interest, had a similar experience.
“He just kind of disappeared from our lives,” Fishel told Variety, adding that Savage was present for the precarious birth of her first son in 2019. “We were just so, so close, especially during that time. He was checking in with me regularly. He ghosted us.”
The actor even shared a photo of Savage holding her baby at the time.
Fishel and Friedle have stayed close ever since “Boy Meets World” was created in 1993. They pitched “Pod Meets World” in 2018 after attending a fan convention with co-star Rider Strong, who played Savage’s best friend on the show and was excited about the idea.
Richard Shotwell/Invision/Associated Press
Fishel previously recalled Savage being reluctant but nonetheless supportive.
“He was very adamant that it was not for him,” she told Variety. “He was also very clear, ‘I don’t want it to stop you. If you guys want to do it, go ahead.’ The time between those conversations and the time we actually started the podcast was a significant amount.”
The podcast itself, which often chronicles the perils of childhood stardom, went on to amass more than 17 million downloads in its first year — and has seen former “Boy Meets World” guest stars including Ethan Supple, Betsy Randle and Anthony Tyler Quinn drop by.
The podcast’s popularity is certainly warranted, as “Boy Meets World” became a TV staple for millennials of a certain age and ran for seven seasons before ending in 2000. In 2014, Fishel reprised her role of Topanga Matthews in “Girl Meets World” — opposite Savage.
Savage did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request Friday afternoon for comment on this article. Variety also reported that Savage did not respond to its request for comment.
The former actor recently announced he’s running for Congress as a Democrat in California’s 30th District.
“If there’s anything this podcast has taught me, it’s that everyone is on their own journey and having their own experiences that can be perceived many different ways,” Fishel told Variety, “depending on your POV.”
Though the disappearing act from his former friend remains a “sore subject” for Friedle, he appears to have loyal companions in Fishel and Strong, who told Variety they all still get their hair cut by the same stylist from the show where they met.