Danielle Fishel nearly walked away from Boy Meets World season 2 during contract negotiations.
Fishel, 45, claimed in a new memoir, Book Meets World: The Definitive Inside Story of the Hit Sitcom Boy Meets World, that her character, Topanga Lawrence, was only guaranteed to appear in 13 of season 2’s 23 episodes. In exchange for her Boy Meets World limited commitment, Fishel alleged that she was allowed to audition for other projects before receiving the advice that it “would be a bad look” to do so.
Trying to figure out her next steps, Fishel’s dad told her to threaten not to show up to the set.
“I was sobbing. ‘I have to go. You’re gonna lose this job for me,’” Fishel wrote in her memoir cowritten by Rider Strong and Will Friedle, per People. “They would say, ‘This is what you should be getting. This is where we’re at. And the only way to get it is if they know that you’re serious about not coming back unless you get treated fairly.’”
She continued, “I was very nervous I was going to lose my job.”
The book further revealed that the contract negotiations came “down to the wire” before star Ben Savage helped the actress’ rate get doubled to $15,000 per episode in season 3.
Fishel and Savage, 46, starred as childhood sweethearts-turned-newlyweds in Boy Meets World, which aired from 1993 to 2000. The show also starred Strong, 46, Friedle, 50, and William Daniels. (Fishel and Savage later reprised their roles in Disney Channel’s Girl Meets World spinoff from 2014 to 2017.)
In the years since playing one half of a beloved TV couple, Savage has largely resigned from the limelight and away from his former BMW colleagues.
“Ben and I may be estranged right now and we may have our complaints about each other, but I will always love Ben and want what’s best for him,” Fishel told Variety in 2023. “I don’t think this is the end of our story — but time will tell.”
Savage, who has not publicly addressed any falling out with his costars, has not participated in any of the BMW cast’s retrospective podcast episodes, documentary or the new tell-all book.
“Ben refused to do the [‘Pod Meets World’ recap] podcast, but we still communicated with him, still on friendly terms, we thought,” Strong alleged in the June documentary. “He unfollowed us on Instagram and blocked our phone numbers. I feel sorry that he’s missing out on the experience that Danielle and Will and I are having.”
Fishel and Friedle later told Us that they want to share their feelings with Savage directly.
“I want to say it to his face,” Friedle exclusively revealed at the documentary premiere before Fishel also noted that Savage and show creator Michael Jacobs have “always been very close.”
