Boy Meets World actors claim series star Ben Savage ‘ghosted’ them

‘He disappeared – I wish I knew why, to this day,’ Will Friedle, Savage’s onscreen brother, said

The cast of Boy Meets World have claimed that lead actor Ben Savage stopped communicating with them abruptly three years ago.

Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle and Rider Strong all starred with Savage in the hit Disney sitcom, which ran from 1993 to 2000.

The series featured Savage as school pupil Cory Matthews, whose long-held crush on his classmate Topanga (Fishel) blossomed into true romance as they got older over the course of the show.

Strong played Cory’s best friend Shawn and Friedle played Cory’s elder brother, Eric. All returned in their roles for the spin-off series, Girl Meets World, which concluded after three seasons in 2017.

Though the cast has largely remained in contact since the early 2000s, some have claimed that Savage, 42, hasn’t spoken to the rest of them for three years. In recent years, Savage has focused on politics, and announced in March that he is running for Congress.

“He just kind of disappeared from our lives,” Fishel, also 42, told Variety in a group interview, published on Wednesday (28 June).

Apparently, the actor had been a source of support for her after her first son was born prematurely in 2019. Fishel continued: “We were just so, so close, especially during that time. He was checking in with me regularly.”

Yet, seemingly without explanation, Savage withdrew from contact with her and their other castmates. “He ghosted us,” Fishel said.

Danielle Fishel and Ben Savage in 1999 (Getty Images)

The Variety report notes that Friedle, 46, was particularly close to Savage, having played brothers in both programmes.

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“He disappeared – I wish I knew why, to this day,” Friedle told the publication. “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.

“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.”

Ben Savage and Will Friedle in 2018 (Getty Images for New York Comic)

Friedle said he stopped trying after his wife asked him why he was trying so hard, telling him: “Why are you doing this to yourself? He obviously doesn’t want you in his life.”

The Independent has reached out to a representative of Savage for comment.

Fishel, Friedle and Strong share a podcast Pod Meets World, in which they speak about the show and welcome fellow classmates to look back on the good times.

Earlier this year, Adam Scott appeared on the podcast and recounted his “horrifying” experience while playing student Griff on the show.