Danica McKellar Says She 'Questioned' Her 'Value' asThe Wonder YearsCame to an End

Mar. 15, 2025

Danica McKellar on ‘The Wonder Years’ in 1988.Photo: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Danica McKellaris getting real about her previous struggles with self-identity.

Speaking on an episode of Cheryl Burke’sSex, Lies and Spray Tanspodcast, released Monday, Nov. 18, the actress, 49, revealed that she questioned her value after her sitcomTheWonder Yearscame to an end.

The coming-of-age series, which followed grown-up Kevin Arnold as he gave humorous commentary on his adventures as a teenager, aired from 1988 to 1993 on ABC.

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“I had friends in the business whose parents were so overly impressed with everything that was going on with their kids that it puts too much pressure on the kid,” McKellar, who played the role of Winnie Cooper, said. “You know? It’s like Yeah. I dealt with enough of that when the show was over.”

She continued, “WhenThe Wonder Yearswas over, and I went to UCLA. It all happened around the same time. For me, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh.  Who, what would my value be if I didn’t have this show?’ ”

From Left: Fred Savage as Kevin and Danica McKellar as Winnie on ‘The Wonder Years’ in 1988.ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Despite McKellar’s questions, the star revealed that she never doubted what her value would be to her parents if she didn’t have the show.

“I questioned what my value was in the world. So that’s a big difference,” she said. “My grandmother, though. My grandmother, she would literally introduce me as —I love her. I mean, I love her so much.”

McKellar continued, “She lived to be 99 years old. She’s like, ‘This is Danica fromThe Wonder Years.’ Not, ‘This is Danica, my granddaughter.’ It was hilarious. She was just proud.”

Danica McKellar as Winnie on ‘The Wonder Years’ in 1992.ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Sharing snaps on her Instagram Stories, the star had a luncheon with her former colleagues at theFanboy Expo in Knoxvillewhile fans asked for autographs.

“So great to be with my Wonder Years family this weekend!,” she wrote at the time. “Sure, we’ve all seen each other through the years (just saw Dan & Josh last month, in fact!), but we realized this particular grouping hadn’t been together in well over 20 years…!”

Danica McKellar at 90s Con on March 18, 2023.Astrida Valigorsky/Getty

Astrida Valigorsky/Getty

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Lauria, 77, played the role of John, while Mills, 73, played his wife Norma. Saviano, 48, played Paul and Hervey, 52, portrayed Wayne. Fred Savage, who played Kevin, was not present for the reunion.

source: people.com