‘Boy Meets World’ stars say Ben Savage ‘disappeared’ from their lives: ‘He ghosted us’

The stars of “Boy Meets World” got candid about their strained relationship with Ben Savage.

In an interview with Variety, Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong and Will Friedle said their former co-star stopped talking to them out of the blue and that they haven’t spoken to him in years.

Last June, the trio — who portrayed Topanga Lawrence, Shawn Hunter and Eric Matthews, respectively — reunited for “Pod Meets World,” a podcast in which they rewatch their show while sharing their memories from the set. The actors told the outlet that they had originally asked Savage, who portrayed lead Cory Matthews, to be a part of it.

“He was very adamant that it was not for him,” Fishel said. “He was also very clear, ‘I don’t want it to stop you. If you guys want to do it, go ahead.’ The time between those conversations and the time we actually started the podcast was a significant amount of time.”

“Boy Meets World” ran for seven seasons from 1993 to 2000. The actors were just kids when they starred in the coming-of-age series. They would later reunite for “Girl Meets World,” a Disney Channel spin-off that ran from 2014 to 2017.

Fishel said that the during that time and after they would do conventions together before Savage stopped attending.

“He just kind of disappeared from our lives,” she said, sharing how her former on-screen husband supported her while her first son was in the NICU in June 2019. “We were just so, so close, especially during that time. He was checking in with me regularly.”

Shortly after that, she said, “He ghosted us.”

Fishel, Strong and Friedle said they have not spoken to Savage in three years, despite Friedle’s efforts.

A rep for Savage did not immediately respond to TODAY.com’s request for comment.

“He disappeared — I wish I knew why, to this day,” Friedle said. “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.”

Adding, “I finally sent a text saying, ‘I’ve known you for 30 years, what’s going on?’ 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.”

Friedle called it a “sore subject” because he’s known Savage since he was 11 years old “and we have a shared history.”

“And we were doing these conventions together, and we were getting to know each other as adults, and then he just kind of went, I’m done with you,” he said. “I tried and tried and tried for months, until finally my wife was like, ‘Why are you doing this to yourself? He obviously doesn’t want you in his life.’”

After “Girl Meets World” ended, Savage appeared in a handful of films and TV shows. His last acting credit is the 2022 Lifetime movie “Girl in the Shed: The Kidnapping of Abby Hernandez.” In March of this year, the actor — who got engaged in January — announced that he was running for Congress.

“If there’s anything this podcast has taught me, it’s that everyone is on their own journey and having their own experiences that can be perceived many different ways, depending on your POV,” Fishel told the magazine. “Speaking for myself, 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. I don’t think this is the end of our story — but time will tell.”

Savage, meanwhile, isn’t the only star to pass on appearing on “Pod Meets World.” The actors revealed that Will Estes and Keri Russell have said no.

They also have a list of people they would like to invite on their podcast, including Mena Suvari, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Andrew Keegan and former “Home Improvement” star Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

“He’s such a private person. We still text. I haven’t asked him, because I’m very respectful of his private life,” Fishel said of the former teen heartthrob known as JTT. “I’ve been very hesitant because I know how private he is, but we would love to have Jonathan on — he would be a great guest. I will ask.”

The three actors have had quite a journey since first stepping on the “Boy Meets World” set to now. In August 2022, Fishel, Strong and Friedle spoke with TODAY.com about wanting to disassociate themselves from the show after they wrapped.

While Fishel said “Goodbye and good riddance!” after the final episode and Strong was “ready to leave the show early,” Friedle said he “loved everything about it.”

He did, however, explain that his age gap with his co-stars was a reason for having a different experience on set. “When you’re 12 and when you’re 16, you might as well be two different species. It’s such a different age,” Friedle said. “That makes a big difference.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com