Boy Meets World’s Rider Strong Admits He Was ‘Never Close’ to Ben Savage
Rider Strong revealed that he was “never close” with Boy Meets World co-star Ben Savage prior to their current estrangement.
“Ben declined to participate in the [rewatch] podcast [‘Pod Meets World’], yet we still considered ourselves on friendly terms and kept in touch. However, he has now unfollowed us on Instagram and blocked our phone numbers,” Strong, 46, shared in the new documentary Doc Meets World. “I feel sad that he’s missing out on the experience that Danielle [Fishel] and Will [Friedle] and I are enjoying.”
The two actors portrayed best friends Shawn Hunter and Corey Matthews for seven seasons on Boy Meets World, from 1993 to 2000, and later reunited on the Disney Channel spinoff Girl Meets World from 2014 to 2017.
Reflecting on his relationship with Savage, 45, Strong noted that, while they were not best friends off the set, the two performers had developed a “mind meld” and trusted each other during filming.
Initially, Savage maintained a friendly relationship with Strong and his “Pod Meets World” co-hosts Fishel and Friedle — who portrayed Topanga Lawrence and Eric Matthews, respectively, on Boy Meets World — after they wrapped up Girl Meets World.
According to the trio, Savage turned down an invitation to become the fourth co-host on the “Pod Meets World” podcast. Strong recounted that Savage believed participating would not be a “worthwhile creative endeavor or a way to connect with fans.”
“I outright told him, ‘Wow, I’m really going to miss you being part of this; I think you’re making a mistake. I truly wish you would consider it,'” Strong recounted in the documentary. “And he replied, ‘I promise you it’s just not for me.’
Allegedly, Savage cut off communication with his former co-stars around 2020. In Doc Meets World, Friedle shows a text exchange of unanswered messages sent to Savage over several years, suggesting that his on-screen brother eventually blocked his number after Friedle threatened to call him “every day” until they reconnected.
Friedle mentioned that he still texts Savage “at least once a month,” holding onto “the slight hope he’ll reach out one day.”
ABC / Courtesy Everett Collection
“I genuinely miss him. He’s arguably one of the funniest people I’ve ever met,” Friedle expressed to Strong in the documentary.
Savage has never publicly explained his reasons for severing ties with his Boy Meets World co-stars.
In an exclusive conversation with Us Weekly, the “Pod Meets World” hosts indicated that, although Savage no longer communicates with them, he has remained connected to Boy Meets World co-creator Michael Jacobs. (In Doc Meets World, Strong accuses Jacobs, 71, of perpetuating an “abuse cycle” in his treatment of child actors on both the Boy Meets World and Girl Meets World sets.)
“[Michael and Ben have] always had a strong bond,” Fishel, 45, told Us.
Strong agreed, commenting, “They have always been … creative partners. I mean, I believe Michael saw himself in Ben, writing a lot of his own childhood experiences through Ben, resulting in a fantastic relationship.”
Regarding their future relationship with Savage, Friedle expressed to Us that he hopes to share his feelings about their estrangement “to [Savage’s] face” someday.
Neither Jacobs nor Savage has ever appeared on “Pod Meets World.” Both declined to participate in Doc Meets World.
