{"id":2453857,"date":"2026-06-11T02:28:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T02:28:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2453857"},"modified":"2026-06-11T02:28:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T02:28:51","slug":"boy-meets-worlds-rider-strong-was-never-close-to-ben-savage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/boy-meets-worlds-rider-strong-was-never-close-to-ben-savage\/","title":{"rendered":"Boy Meets World’s Rider Strong Was \u2018Never Close\u2019 to Ben Savage"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Rider Strong<\/strong><\/a> admitted he was \u201cnever close\u201d with Boy Meets World<\/em><\/a> costar Ben Savage<\/strong><\/a> before their ongoing estrangement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen refused to do the [rewatch] podcast [\u2018Pod Meets World\u2019], but we still communicated with him, still on friendly terms, we thought. But he unfollowed us on Instagram and blocked our phone numbers,\u201d Strong, 46, explained in the new documentary Doc Meets World<\/em><\/a>. \u201cI feel sorry that he\u2019s missing out on the experience that Danielle<\/strong> [Fishel<\/strong>] and Will<\/strong> [Friedle<\/strong>] and I are having.\u201d<\/p>\n

The duo played best friends Shawn Hunter and Corey Matthews, respectively, for seven seasons of Boy Meets World<\/em> from 1993 to 2000, in addition to reuniting on Disney Channel spinoff Girl Meets World<\/em> from 2014 to 2017.<\/p>\n

Strong looked back on his relationship with Savage, 45, as part of the new film, revealing that while they weren\u2019t best friends off-screen, the two costars did form a \u201cmind meld as performers and trusted one another\u201d on set.<\/p>\n

Savage initially remained friendly with Strong and his \u201cPod Meets World\u201d cohosts Fishel and Friedle \u2014 who played Topanga Lawrence and Eric Matthews on Boy Meets World, respectively \u2014 after wrapping Girl Meets World<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Per the trio, Savage turned down an invitation to join them as the fourth \u201cPod Meets World\u201d cohost. Strong relayed that Savage felt the rewatch podcast was not a \u201cworthwhile creative endeavor or way to connect with fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI flat-out told him, \u2018Wow, I\u2019m really going to miss you doing this; I think you\u2019re making a mistake. I really wish you would consider it,\u2019\u201d Strong explains in the documentary. \u201cAnd he said, \u2018I promise you it\u2019s just not for me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Savage allegedly ceased all communications with his former costars around 2020. In Doc Meets World<\/em>, Friedle shares a text chain of unanswered messages to Savage that dates back several years and insinuates that his onscreen brother eventually blocked his number when he threatened to call him \u201cevery day\u201d until they reconnected.<\/p>\n

Friedle shared that he still texts Savage \u201cat least once a month\u201d with the \u201cslight hope he\u2019ll reach out one day.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Will Friedle, Rider Strong, Ben Savage, Danielle Fishel on \u201cBoy Meets World.\u201d<\/span> ABC \/ Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI really do miss him. He\u2019s arguably one of the funniest people I\u2019ve ever met in my life,\u201d Friedle tells Strong in the documentary.<\/p>\n

Savage has never publicly explained why he cut off contact with his Boy Meets World costars.<\/p>\n

Speaking exclusively to Us Weekly<\/em><\/a>, the \u201cPod Meets World\u201d hosts revealed that while Savage no longer speaks to them, he was always connected to Boy Meets World<\/em> cocreator Michael Jacobs<\/strong>. (Doc Worlds Meets<\/em> includes Strong accusing Jacobs, 71, of perpetuating an \u201cabuse cycle\u201d for his treatment of child actors on both the Boy Meets World<\/em> and Girl Meets World<\/em> sets.)<\/p>\n

\u201c[Michael and Ben have] always been very close,\u201d Fishel, 45, told Us<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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