Danielle Fishel Recalls How aBoy Meets WorldEpisode Was Written About Her and Will Friedle's Weight Gain

Mar. 15, 2025

Danielle Fishel attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Amazon’s “Emergency” (left); Will Friedle attends the 2022 iHeartRadio Wango Tango.Photo:JC Olivera/Getty; Tommaso Boddi/Getty

JC Olivera/Getty; Tommaso Boddi/Getty

Not all ofDanielle Fishel’sBoy Meets Worldmemories are positive.The actress — who played Topanga Lawrence on the ’90s sitcom — recalled one of the show’s plot lines centering around her and costarWill Friedle’s appearance after they had both gained weight.On the August 12 episode ofPod Meets World, Fishel, 43, told her co-hostRider Strongand guestCandace Cameron Bureabout the meeting she had when she was told that her weight gain would be incorporated into the show.“They called me into the office to tell me they were going to [write about it] – it wasn’t really like they asked,” she claimed. “Obviously, it was Will and I. Will had gained some weight. I had gained some weight. [And the writers said], ‘Obviously, you guys have gained a little bit of weight, so we’re gonna write an episode about it. And we just wanted you to know. And here’s what it’s gonna be. It’s gonna be really funny.'“Fishel said that the “hardest part” of the meeting was that her costar was so nonchalant about it.“Will very much was like, ‘Oh, yeah. I’m totally fine with it.’ Just immediately. Which, I know now, he was very insecure, and it was really painful for him,” she recalled. “And for me, it was more like, ‘Oh, wow.’ Like, I didn’t – no one had said anything to me about it. I had been aware that I had gained weight, but I was still you know, I was a size 4.“Ben Savage, Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle and Rider Strong for ‘Boy Meets World’ (1994).ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via GettyShe continued, “And so, I remember thinking, wow, these people think I’ve gained enough weight [that] we have to write an entire episode about my weight gain… And I have to say I’m fine with it, because they didn’t even present to me another alternative. And even if they did, I probably wouldn’t have felt comfortable being like, ‘Yeah. I don’t wanna do that.'“Strong, 44, said that even if Fishel had spoken up, it likely would’ve turned out worse. “If you had canned [that idea] – if you had said, ‘I’m not comfortable doing that – that would’ve been the story,” he said. “It’s such a weird situation, so much pressure.“Fishel admitted that the experience made it so thoughts of her body and her weight were “just in my head forever.“Ben Savage, Rider Strong, Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle for ‘Boy Meets World’ (1993.Touchstone Tv/Kobal/ShutterstockThe topic came up because Fishel asked if Bure had ever had an episode written about her weight onFull House.“I had lost like 20 pounds from the end of one season to another,” Bure, 48, recalled. “I came in losing 20 pounds, but they thought it was so great, and they were like, ‘Oh, on the opening titles, why don’t we have you on an exercise bike? Just to promote that?'“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“Looking back, I don’t think that was bad,” Bure said. “I mean, I really put a lot of hard work and effort into losing 20 pounds.“The difference, though, was that theFull Housewriters talked to Bure’s parents and to her beforehand and asked, “Would you feel comfortable if we wrote an episode like this?““And I was like, ‘Yeah, sure.’ But when you’re doing it, it feels a little awkward,” she admitted.

Not all ofDanielle Fishel’sBoy Meets Worldmemories are positive.

The actress — who played Topanga Lawrence on the ’90s sitcom — recalled one of the show’s plot lines centering around her and costarWill Friedle’s appearance after they had both gained weight.

On the August 12 episode ofPod Meets World, Fishel, 43, told her co-hostRider Strongand guestCandace Cameron Bureabout the meeting she had when she was told that her weight gain would be incorporated into the show.

“They called me into the office to tell me they were going to [write about it] – it wasn’t really like they asked,” she claimed. “Obviously, it was Will and I. Will had gained some weight. I had gained some weight. [And the writers said], ‘Obviously, you guys have gained a little bit of weight, so we’re gonna write an episode about it. And we just wanted you to know. And here’s what it’s gonna be. It’s gonna be really funny.'”

Fishel said that the “hardest part” of the meeting was that her costar was so nonchalant about it.

“Will very much was like, ‘Oh, yeah. I’m totally fine with it.’ Just immediately. Which, I know now, he was very insecure, and it was really painful for him,” she recalled. “And for me, it was more like, ‘Oh, wow.’ Like, I didn’t – no one had said anything to me about it. I had been aware that I had gained weight, but I was still you know, I was a size 4.”

Ben Savage, Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle and Rider Strong for ‘Boy Meets World’ (1994).ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

She continued, “And so, I remember thinking, wow, these people think I’ve gained enough weight [that] we have to write an entire episode about my weight gain… And I have to say I’m fine with it, because they didn’t even present to me another alternative. And even if they did, I probably wouldn’t have felt comfortable being like, ‘Yeah. I don’t wanna do that.'”

Strong, 44, said that even if Fishel had spoken up, it likely would’ve turned out worse. “If you had canned [that idea] – if you had said, ‘I’m not comfortable doing that – that would’ve been the story,” he said. “It’s such a weird situation, so much pressure.”

Fishel admitted that the experience made it so thoughts of her body and her weight were “just in my head forever.”

Ben Savage, Rider Strong, Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle for ‘Boy Meets World’ (1993.Touchstone Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock

The topic came up because Fishel asked if Bure had ever had an episode written about her weight onFull House.

“I had lost like 20 pounds from the end of one season to another,” Bure, 48, recalled. “I came in losing 20 pounds, but they thought it was so great, and they were like, ‘Oh, on the opening titles, why don’t we have you on an exercise bike? Just to promote that?'”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“Looking back, I don’t think that was bad,” Bure said. “I mean, I really put a lot of hard work and effort into losing 20 pounds.”

The difference, though, was that theFull Housewriters talked to Bure’s parents and to her beforehand and asked, “Would you feel comfortable if we wrote an episode like this?”

“And I was like, ‘Yeah, sure.’ But when you’re doing it, it feels a little awkward,” she admitted.

source: people.com