Where The Cast Of Boy Meets World Is Now

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has many claims to fame. As if being the birthplace of America and the cheesesteak wasn't enough, the City of Brotherly Love holds plenty of pop culture significance being the home of Rocky Balboa, The Fresh Prince, and Gritty. But it would also serve as the hometown of another sitcom icon, especially for the Millennial audience that grew up right alongside him and his friends: Cory Alan Matthews, the titular boy of ABC's beloved sitcom "Boy Meets World."

But after bringing Cory from middle school to college graduation in front of the whole world, along with his best friend Shawn Hunter, his life-long sweetheart Topanga Lawrence, and the rest of the Matthews family, the stars behind the coming-of-age show that aired on ABC for seven seasons and became a staple of the TGIF lineup did some growing up of their own and went off to meet their own worlds.

So just where did they all end up? While they would eventually come back together down the line, let's take a look at where the cast ended up after the beloved Disney series created by Michael Jacobs and April Kelly concluded on May 5, 2000.

For the first two seasons of "Boy Meets World," Lily Nicksay (above left) played little sister Morgan Matthews. She was four years old when they shot the pilot, and she continued to be adorable and funny during the remainder of her time on the show. However, according to Entertainment Weekly, Nicksay wasn't having as much fun as it appeared onscreen, so her parents and the producers made the "mutual decision" to part ways. The experience didn't deter her acting career though as she would go on to appear on TV in "8 Simple Rules," "NCIS," and "The Mentalist," as well as movies such as "The Negotiator" starring Samuel L. Jackson and "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle." But she would also find acclaim on stage, even winning multiple awards for her work.

After Nicksay's departure, Lindsay Ridgeway (above right) would replace her in season three. After the show wrapped, Ridgeway would only have a few more roles, including Sally Shine in "Tower of Terror" and the singing voice of Darla Dimple in "Cats Don't Dance" before transitioning to another career. During her appearance on "Pod Meets World" in 2023, she revealed to her former co-stars and hosts Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle that she is working in the nonprofit space to raise money and advocate for live theater and other causes while also teaching fitness classes.

Just as in real life, Cory looked to various adults to help him meet the world, including Betsy Randle as Amy Matthews. First introduced as a stern yet fair parent who unequivocally believes in her children and supports them even during their various (and often comedic) missteps, the audience discovers another side to her when she goes back to school to explore creative writing after her nest starts to empty out.

Prior to her time as the mother of Cory, Eric, and Morgan (and eventually Josh), Randle had spent the late 1980s and early 1990s playing roles in several sitcoms such as "Family Ties," "Dear John," and "Home Improvement." After her time on "Boy Meets World," her career took a slightly darker turn in terms of genre. Starting by dipping her toes in "Charmed" and with "H-E Double Hockey Sticks" featuring her co-stars Will Friedle and Matthew Lawrence, she started taking more horror and thriller type projects like "Urban Mythology," "The Nightmare Room," "Eve of Abduction," and "Painter." 

Most recently, Randle appeared alongside Kathy Bates in the "Matlock" reboot on CBS.

In the "Boy Meets World" universe, William Russ played father, grocer, and outdoor paraphernalia retailer Alan Matthews. But prior to and during his stint as the patriarch of the Matthews family, Russ enjoyed a prolific career as a character actor elsewhere in film and television from the late 1970s onward. His projects landed all over the genre spectrum, as he appeared in "Just You And Me, Kid" starring George Burns and Edward Norton's "American History X" on the big screen and TV shows "The Dukes of Hazard," "Stargate SG-1," and "St. Elsewhere."

Russ continued this type of work after "Boy Meets World" had wrapped up. He appeared in practically every major procedural of the last 20 years, including "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Cold Case," "NCIS," "Criminal Minds," and "9-1-1." The actor also scored recurring roles on "Boston Legal," "The Young and the Restless" and "Bosch."

Though the 74-year-old looks to be slowing down a bit as his IMDb page isn't as active as it once was, Russ still appears to be taking roles occasionally, most recently on three episodes of the TNT crime drama "Animal Kingdom" in 2022 and a leading role in the slasher horror movie "Founders Day" in 2023.

Every school has a young, hip teacher that students look to as their potentially relatable boon in a sea of stuffy, out-of-touch relics of the past that is the rest of the faculty. For the students of John Adams High School in "Boy Meets World," that teacher was Jonathan Turner. But when he wasn't assigning his students "The Odyssey" and the latest issue of "X-Men," Anthony Tyler Quinn enjoyed a rather active career in Hollywood.

Prior to donning Mr. Turner's leather jacket and motorcycle helmet, Quinn appeared on memorable television shows "Family Ties," "Sliders," and "Melrose Place." He also starred in the sequel series to the 1980s film "Working Girl" alongside a young Sandra Bullock as Tess McGill. The roles continued to pour in for the actor after Cory, Shawn, and Topanga graduated out of his classes, as he landed parts in "JAG," "3rd Rock From The Sun," "Just Shoot Me!," and "Dexter." He also played recurring roles in "Caroline In The City" and "Days of Our Lives," and he also dabbled in writing and producing shorts and features. But he continued to appear in some of TV's most talked about series such as "House M.D.," "Pretty Little Liars," and "Feud: Bette and Joan."

Maitland Ward got her start on "The Bold and the Beautiful" as Jessica Forrester from 1994 to 1996. Then, before joining Cory, Topanga, and the gang at Pennbrook University in the sixth season of "Boy Meets World," she co-starred in the TV movie "Killing Mr. Griffith" with Mario Lopez and landed guest spots on "USA High" and "Home Improvement." Following the series finale, Ward appeared in movies like indie romantic comedy "Dish Dogs" and the Wayans Brothers' "White Chicks."

Despite consistently working in film and television, she would retire from mainstream acting in 2007 and became a staple of the pop culture convention scene as a cosplayer. But in 2019, Ward began a new career in front of the camera as part of the adult film industry. Her work immediately began to earn her recognition, earning the genre's highest honors at the AVN Awards, XBIZ Awards, and more every year she's been active. Though many view this as an unconventional move for the actress, Ward told People in 2022 that her adult film career helped her "to embrace their truth and just live how they want to live" and to evade the Hollywood stigmas associated with age and sex.

After playing several minor roles in major series like "A Different World," "Martin," and "Family Matters," Trina McGee-Davis accepted the role of Angela Moore, Shawn Hunter's love interest later in the series. Although, her experience on the show was more tumultuous than others. During a 2022 episode of "Pod Meets World," McGee-Davis discussed the racism that she had encountered on set, which also allegedly led to her exclusion from the series finale. According to the star, she was told that the decision was made because the cast told showrunner Michael Jacobs that she would outshine them. With the hosts dismayed and apologetic over the misinformation, the cast members buried the hatchet.

The star would go on to take parts in "City Guys" (where she landed a three-episode arc), "The Hughleys," and the 2002 film "Friday After Next" before trying her hand at writing, directing, and producing throughout the 2010s and beyond. But as the years progressed, her time in front of the camera seemed to take a back seat to her family. After divorcing her first husband, she married Marcello Thedford and became pregnant with a fourth child in 2024 at age 54. Unfortunately, McGee suffered a miscarriage shortly after that announcement. However, the actor went on "The Tamron Hall Show" to share her story to give hope to other women who want to conceive children later in life.

When Matthew Lawrence joined the cast of "Boy Meets World" as Shawn's half-brother and Eric's roommate Jack, he was already a bonafide star. He started acting in the mid-1980s when he appeared on "Dynasty" as Danny Carrington. From there, while he earned roles in memorable films such as "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" and Robin Williams' "Mrs. Doubtfire," Lawrence also worked with his real-life brothers Joey and Andy on many TV projects including "Gimme A Break!," "Blossom," and "Brotherly Love."

After his stint on the hit ABC sitcom, Lawrence ventured out on his own in Hollywood. He would remain connected to his brothers professionally thanks to guest spots on "Melissa & Joey" and the "Brotherly Love" podcast, but he still earned plenty of work without them. For example, his film career continued into the 2000s with parts in "The Hot Chick," "The Comebacks," and "Money Plane." And on the TV side of things, not only did he rack up roles on shows across many genres like "CSI: Miami," "Boston Public," and "Workaholics," he has also participated in competition shows such as "Worst Cooks In America" in 2022 and "The Masked Singer" in 2025.

Though he didn't start out as the whimsical comic relief that he evolved into by the end of the series, Will Friedle was ready to take on every evolution of Eric Matthews that he encountered on "Boy Meets World." Whether he was playing the protective older brother, the aimless high school grad who fancied himself a Good Looking Guy (with his own theme song), or Mr. Plays With Squirrels, the audience was along for the ride. But Friedle's willingness to play so freely really lent itself to his post-BMW career in voice acting. In fact, he became a titan of the genre during the dawn of the new millennium thanks to his roles in "Batman Beyond," "Kim Possible," the 2011 reboot of "Thundercats," and many others.

Although he may go down in history as one of the most iconic voice actors of his time, Friedle still shows up in front of a camera in the flesh every now and then. On top of staying connected to Eric Matthews through the "Pod Meets World" podcast, he also co-hosts another rewatch podcast about Disney Channel Original Movies called "Magical Rewind." He also inhabits the tabletop role-playing game space by hosting shows for Critical Role and Geek & Sundry about painting miniatures and participating in various campaigns.

After getting his start on stage as Gavroche in a production of "Les Misérables," Rider Strong kicked off the 1990s with a series of minor roles in many TV projects. But he ultimately hit the jackpot when he landed the role of Cory Matthews' rebellious heartthrob best friend Shawn Hunter in "Boy Meets World." While he still booked various gigs in "Invasion America" and "Batman Beyond," as well as guest roles on "Party of Five" and " The Practice" throughout this run, he was completely enveloped in Shawn's ever-evolving world from popular, care-free kid to angsty and introspective young adult.

Following "Boy Meets World," Strong continued to act thanks to a variety of roles including Private Carl Jenkins in "Roughnecks: The Starship Troopers Chronicles," Brick Flagg in "Kim Possible," and the leading role of Paul in the "Cabin Fever" movies. He also started to dabble in writing and directing, beginning with the award-winning short film "Irish Twins."

Though it seemed like he was trying to distance himself from Shawn Hunter for a few years, Strong eventually embraced the character once again by joining "Girl Meets World" as both an actor and director, as well as co-hosting "Pod Meets World" with Fishel and Friedle. Outside of the show, Strong can also be heard in "Star vs. the Forces of Evil" and "Love, Death, & Robots" and seen in the TTRPG series "Critical Role: One-Shots." 

After being discovered in community theater in 1991,  Danielle Fishel suddenly found herself immersed in voiceover work and commercials, most prominently for Mattel's Barbie brand. Not long after that, she started landing small roles on television, beginning with "Full House" and "Harry and the Hendersons." She was then meant to make another minor appearance in another sitcom in 1993 that only involved two lines. However, due to her performance, the role of Cory Matthews' quirky classmate Topanga was expanded to a series regular role in the second season and eventually became one half of one of the most iconic TV couples of the 1990s. 

Fishel continued to work in TV shows and movies throughout the 2000s, but she also started dabbling in reality and daytime programming. This started in 2003 with hosting "Say What? Karaoke" on MTV, followed by stints on "The Dish," "The Tyra Banks Show," and "The Fuse 20." She would later reprise her role as Topanga Lawrence-Matthews in Disney Channel's "Girl Meets World." Although, in addition to starring and co-producing the show, she embarked on a new path in the entertainment industry by directing four episodes of the series. Just like her acting career, her resume behind the scenes would soon grow quickly thanks to her work on shows such as "Raven's Home," "Lopez vs Lopez," and "Shifting Gears."

These days, Fishel is the talk of the town once again. Aside from co-hosting "Pod Meets World" with Friedle and Strong, she also joined the cast of the 34th season of "Dancing With The Stars."

As iconic as Cory and Topanga would become after "Boy Meets World," the actor behind their beloved teacher George Feeny was already a pop culture icon many times over. That's because William Daniels has been performing since 1943, first as part of a variety act with members of his family before branching out into theater, film, and television.

Some of Daniels' most recognizable roles include John Adams in both the original Broadway production and the film adaptation of "1776," Dr. Mark Craig in the medical drama "St. Elsewhere," Mr. Braddock (the father of Dustin Hoffman's character) in "The Graduate," and the voice of KITT in the "Knight Rider" franchise. Then after his stint as the stern but fair educator on "Boy Meets World," his storied career would continue with roles in many more shows and movies including "Star Trek: Voyager," "Scrubs," "The Simpsons," and "Grey's Anatomy."

After over six decades in entertainment, Daniels is taking it easy these days alongside his wife and fellow award-winning actor Bonnie Bartlett (who also appeared on "Boy Meets World" as Dean Bolander). But before closing out his career, he revisited a few old favorites by reprising Mr. Feeny in five episodes of "Girl Meets World" and KITT in the Melissa McCarthy romantic action comedy "Superintelligence."

Following in his older siblings' footsteps, Ben Savage started acting at a young age. In fact, his first two onscreen projects were headlined by his brother. But at the age of 12, he stepped out from Fred Savage's shadow to star in his own long-running sitcom.

When "Boy Meets World" ended, Savage took a short break from acting before appearing in acclaimed independent features "Car Babes" and "Palo Alto, CA." He would continue to land roles in various shows throughout the 2000s and 2010s including "Chuck," "Without A Trace," and "Bones" before reprising his role as Cory Matthews in "Girl Meets World." However, the sequel series would become the last major association Savage would have with the franchise. While promoting "Pod Meets World," hosts Fishel, Friedle, and Strong revealed to Variety that their co-star had cut off all communication with them in 2020 with seemingly no reason. Friedle would go on to say that they were mid-conversation when Savage inexplicably cut ties.

Though he would occasionally continue to act after that, Savage focused on a political career instead. While he didn't get elected to either position he campaigned for, he remains political in the Golden State while he and partner Tessa Angermeier grow their family by welcoming their first child in 2025.

Nearly 15 years after "Boy Meets World" ended on ABC, the cast and crew reunited for Disney Channel's sequel series "Girl Meets World." The show featured Rowan Blanchard as Cory and Topanga's daughter Riley and Sabrina Carpenter (before becoming a pop music superstar) as her best friend Maya as they navigated the realities of growing up in New York City.

Every major cast member from the original production appeared in the new show at some point with the exception of Maitland Ward. While there were allegedly plans to bring back Rachel McGuire at one point, the character is only referenced during the reunion between Eric Matthews and Jack Hunter in the season two episode "Girl Meets Semi-Formal."

While it was a charming way to revisit the beloved characters from the classic sitcom, "Girl Meets World" maintained the network's younger-skewing aesthetic that didn't allow for the series to venture into topics that made the original so memorable. Though it had its moments, "Girl Meets World" was cancelled in 2017 after three seasons, despite developing a devoted fanbase.