Boy Meets World star Will Friedle has apologized to his costar Trina McGee for a past racial insult he made while filming the show years ago.
McGee, 50, called out her Boy Meets World castmates in a series of recently resurfaced tweets that claimed she faced a hostile working environment on the set of the sitcom.
“Called aunt Jemima on set during hair and make up. Called a bitter bitch when I quietly waited for my scene to finish rehearsing that was being f’ed up over and over due to episode featuring my character,” she tweeted in January. “Told ‘it was nice of you to join us’ like a stranger after 60 episodes.”
McGee portrayed Angela Moore, the love interest of Shawn Hunter (Rider Strong) and the best friend of Topanga Lawrence (Danielle Fishel). Although McGee didn’t mention names during the time of the tweets, she revealed on Thursday, April 16, that Friedle, 43, was one of the offenders.
“For the record: Will Friedle, the man responsible for Aunt Jemima-gate, apologized to me 22 years ago and again days ago in a in a three-page letter,” McGee captioned a throwback photo via Instagram of the two actors hugging on set. “We talked more on it and he acknowledged that he really wasn’t educated enough in his early twenties to know he was truly offending me. This should and could be a teaching moment for all. For all people of all races or different backgrounds. He has conveyed to me how much this has changed his perception of comedy. And humanity.”
The New York native added that she also apologized to the My Date With the President’s Daughter star for making his statements public, “because his joke came out of just not knowing, not viciousness.”
McGee has still not shared the identities of the other Boy Meets World costars she claims treated her unkindly. However, she stated in a recent Instagram Live that she still has love for them “even without getting some of the love back.”
Boy Meets World — which ran from 1993 to 2000 on ABC — followed Cory Matthews (Ben Savage), his best friend Shawn, girlfriend Topanga and brother Eric as they navigated the ups and downs of adolescence guided by their teacher Mr. Feeny (William Daniels). Angela first appeared in the series on season 5 and was a main cast member until the show’s end.
The sitcom’s sequel Girl Meets World aired on Disney Channel from 2014 to 2017. The series followed Cory and Topanga’s daughter Riley (Rowan Blanchard) and her best friend Maya (Sabrina Carpenter). Some of the original Boy Meets World cast members — including Friedle and McGee — also appeared on the show.
