Posted 2 hours agoSubscribe to Screen Time NewsletterCaret DownThe Hosts Of "Pod Meets World" Admitted They Edited Out A Reference To Allegations Against Fred Savage "Out Of Respect" For Ben Savage As They Issued An Update On Their Relationship "I had a fear that Ben was going to hear it and he's going to be angry at me for acknowledging this," Danielle Fishel confessed.by Stephanie SoteriouBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestLink This article mentions multiple allegations of abuse and harassment. Back in 2022, former Boy Meets World cast members Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle, and Rider Strong launched their rewatch podcast, Pod Meets World, and it was pretty much an instant hit. Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images If you need reminding, Boy Meets World aired between 1993 and 2000 and chronicled the lives of its central characters from the age of 11 until the end of college. Danielle was just 12 years old when she was cast as Topanga, Rider was 13 when he landed the role of Shawn, and Will was 16 when he was cast as Eric. Abc Photo Archives / Getty Images On their podcast, the trio react to old episodes of the show, interview other members of the cast and the crew, and have spoken incredibly openly about their personal experiences of both filming and being a child star in general. In fact, how candid the stars have been about the darker side of working in the entertainment industry is one of the things that has won listeners over, and they have never shied away from discussing tough topics. Jon Kopaloff / Getty Images For example, just last year, an episode was dedicated to Will and Rider emotionally discussing the "shame" they feel for supporting actor and dialogue coach Brian Peck in court when he faced multiple allegations of sexual abuse against a minor in the early '00s.
For reference, in 2004, Brian was sentenced to 16 months in prison after he pleaded no contest to a charge of oral copulation with a minor under 16, and performing a lewd act with a minor. Will and Rider said that they had been "misled" by him at the time, going on to admit they were "on the wrong side of everything." During other instances, the stars have acknowledged controversies attached to guest stars or storylines as they have come across them. However, fans noticed they did not do this during their recent recap of the Season 6 episode "Everybody Loves Stuart." ABC / Disney This episode, which first aired in November 1998, was about Topanga facing sexual advances from her college teacher Stuart, played by Fred Savage. Notably, Fred is the brother of Ben Savage, who played the titular "boy" in Boy Meets World, Cory Matthews. ABC / Disney Fred is also a former child star who first started acting at the age of 6. He got his big break playing Kevin in the hit US series The Wonder Years, which aired between 1988 and 1993. However, he has faced multiple allegations of inappropriate behavior over the years. Ron Galella, Ltd. / Getty Images First of all, Fred and his Wonder Years co-star Jason Hervey were accused of sexual harassment in 1993 by the show's former costume designer Monique Long. Representatives for both actors and a spokesperson for the show denied the charges. Fred was 16 years old at the time, and the lawsuit ended up being settled out of court.
Fred continued working after this, and joined the Fox legal sitcom The Grinder in 2015, when he was around 39 years old. In March 2018, The Grinder's costume designer, Youngjoo Hwang, accused Fred of assault and intimidation. She filed a complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging assault, battery, and gender discrimination.
Fred denied the allegations, telling the Hollywood Reporter: "These accusations are completely without merit and absolutely untrue. Fox conducted an extensive internal investigation into her claims, a process in which I fully participated. After concluding a thorough investigation, Fox determined that there was absolutely no evidence to support these accusations. None of her claims could be substantiated because they did not happen."The case was settled in 2019. Then, in May 2022, Fred was fired as executive producer and director of The Wonder Years reboot following an investigation into alleged inappropriate conduct against multiple women. Bravo / Getty Images At the time, 20th Television issued a statement that read: "Recently, we were made aware of allegations of inappropriate conduct by Fred Savage, and as is policy, an investigation was launched. Upon its completion, the decision was made to terminate his employment as an executive producer and director of The Wonder Years."Three months later, Fred denied that the alleged incidents had happened, saying in a statement to NBC News: "Since I was 6 years old, I have worked on hundreds of sets with thousands of people, and have always strived to contribute to an inclusive, safe and supportive work environment. It is devastating to learn that there are co-workers who feel I have fallen short of these goals.""While there