The following is not a misprint: it has been 17 years since Boy Meets World officially ended its run in May of 2000. One of the most beloved TGIF sitcoms of yesteryear, BMW lasted seven seasons, and, much like other favorites from the early ‘90s, it gained an even larger following in subsequent airings via syndication. In 2013, BMW fans were thrilled when they learned that a sequel of sorts was in the works, and when Girl Meets World premiered in 2014, it was met with decent ratings, as well as an overall favorable critical response.
GMW featured a grown and married Cory and Topanga, and it aired for three full seasons before being canceled by the Disney Channel earlier this year. The show’s writers indicated that they would try to find other networks or venues for the show, but after Netflix passed, creator Michael Jacobs — along with several of its BMW alums, many of whom guest-starred on the show —recently confirmed that the series is likely done for good. Considering this, we decided to give the BMW cast one final shout out, because, well, nostalgia. Prepare for the ultimate Feeny call as we check in with the cast of Boy Meets World to see what they're up to these days.
15. Shawn Hunter (Rider Strong)
Shawn Hunter was one of Teen Beat’s best bad boys of the ‘90s. His rebel-with-a-cause demeanor coupled with the heart of gold he tried so hard to hide made him a definite fan favorite. In the years since the show ended, his portrayer, Rider Strong, has certainly done well for himself. Strong earned a degree in English from Columbia University in 2004, and he followed it up with a Master’s degree in fine arts from Bennington in 2009.
He has also expanded his entertainment portfolio. Strong directed 16 episodes of Girl Meets World, and he co-wrote a short horror film with his brother Shiloh in 2016. He also currently co-hosts the podcast Literary Disco, in which he and two other writers discuss various elements associated with writing and all things literary. He married actress Alexandra Barreto in 2013, and they have a son, Indigo.
14. Maitland Ward (Rachel McGuire)
The former object of Eric and Jack’s affections is still stealing hearts all over the place. Ward was one of the few former BMW stars who didn’t appear on GMW at all, bumming fans of the original series out, but she has definitely remained in the public eye since the show ended. She starred in 2004’s White Chicks, has had bit parts in a few TV shows, and, according to IMDb, she currently has two independent films in development despite taking a break from acting from 2007-2015.
Lately, however, Ward has become well known for frequenting Comic Cons in incredibly awesome (and often revealing) cosplay get-ups. She has shown up at various Cons dressed as Wonder Woman, Red Sonja, Princess Leia, and, at the San Diego Comic-con last year, she wore nothing but body paint. She has large fan followings on both her Instagram and Snapchat accounts, and she has been married to real estate agent Terry Baxter for over 10 years now.
13. Angela Moore (Trina McGee)
Shawn thought she was the one. So did we. Shawn and Angela were perfect for each other, so when it was distance that kept them apart, we always thought they would find their way back to each other somehow. In season two of GMW, we finally got their reunion, but it didn’t go down like we'd imagined it would. We learned that Angela was now married and considering having kids, forcing Shawn to finally let her go.
Since BMW ended, Trina McGee has been working as an actress, largely starring in small roles on television, as well as in lower budget or independent films. She is very active on Instagram and Twitter, where she often communicates with her fans, who collectively swooned when she posted a supposed protest when Shawn got married on GMW.
12. Alan Matthews (William Russ)
He answers to grandpa Alan now. A prolific actor, William Russ has stayed busy working in show business since the series ended, most recently guest starring on Grimm and Colony, where he had a three-episode arc as a brilliant ex-spy. You may have also seen his face pop up in shows like Scandal and 90210 over the past several years, as he mostly sticks to brief stints on television.
Mr. Feeny himself, William Daniels, wrote in his recent memoir that he and Russ (whom he affectionately calls Rusty) are still friends, and have remained in contact since the show ended, often having dinner with their wives. Russ was back for a few episodes of GMW, and currently, he has several independent films in various stages of development.
11. Amy Matthews (Betsy Randle)
The Matthews mom has been largely absent from show biz since BMW ended. She had a brief arc on Charmed, and was recently on a few episodes of Adam Ruins Everything, but other than that, fans looking to see her on the telly haven’t had that much to choose from. She has also had a few small-ish parts in some way indie flicks, but since 2000, she has mostly (and unfortunately) been off the entertainment radar.
Like TV hubby William Russ, Randle guest starred on Girl Meets World, also taking part in the series’ finale that basically served as a huge BMW reunion. She currently lives in California with her husband. She also has two children, who may be the two luckiest kids ever, because Mrs. Matthews is their mom.
10. Stuart Minkus (Lee Norris)
Lee Norris tends to gravitate towards characters with one-named monikers. After making his mark as the know-it-all bespectacled nerd Minkus on Boy Meets World, Norris went on to play Mouth on One Tree Hill for nine seasons. Norris has had a few bit parts since One Tree Hill ended. He had a small part as a police officer in Gone Girl, and he reprised his role as Minkus in GMW.
Minkus showed up in all three of GMW’s seasons, where, suddenly all grown up, he played the married father of young Farkle. Fans of BMW may have been surprised by how mature and grown Minkus has become, but it could have been a case of art imitating life. In 2011, he got married to his now-wife, Andrea.
9. Blake Clark (Chet Hunter)
Blake Clark has been one of the busiest and most visible members of the BMW cast since his time on the show ended. Known to BMW fans as Shawn and Jack’s deadbeat-then-reformed dad, his character died of a heart attack and then came back in the form of a ghost only Shawn could see from time to time.
Clark has guest starred on TV shows as diverse as Community and Last Man Standing, but his most notable role since BMW ended has been that of the voice of Slinky Dog in Toy Story 3. He took over the part after Jim Varney passed away, and he will resume the role in the upcoming Toy Story 4. GMW fans know that he also appeared in season two to dispel sage ghost-advice when Shawn needed it most.
8. Jonathan Turner (Anthony Tyler Quinn)
Remember when Mr. Turner got in a motorcycle accident and then disappeared from the show (and our lives!) with zero explanation? Thank goodness he turned up again on GMW to clear that whole mess up. Shawn’s former father figure ended up marrying the nurse who treated him after his accident, while also building a career as a superintendent of schools in New York — and it turned out that he was the one who hired Cory to teach.
Other than reappearing on three episodes of GMW, Quinn has popped up on everything from Days of Our Lives to NCIS. Most recently, he guest-starred as Wendell Corey on Ryan Murphy’s Feud. In real-life, it turns out that he has something in common with one of his former pupils: like Cory Matthews, he is still married to his high school sweetheart. They have two kids.
8. Frankie Stechino (Ethan Suplee)
Since BMW ended, the reformed bully with a poetic soul has appeared in several films, including The Wolf of Wall Street and Deepwater Horizon. He also had memorable roles on Raising Hope and Wilfred, but he earned many new fans when he starred as the dim-bulbed innocent Randy Hickey on My Name is Earl. An overgrown man-child with zero social skills, Randy showcased Suplee’s talents, establishing him as a fine comedic actor.
Frankie Stechino was one of the few BMW characters that never made an appearance on GMW, so we’re not sure where his gentle giant ended up. We do know that Suplee and his wife Brandy have been married for over 10 years, and have four children, and that the actor will next appear in the Twin Peaks reboot.
6. Morgan Matthews (Lindsay Ridgeway and Lily Nicksay)
Two different actresses played Morgan throughout the show’s seven seasons. Lily Nicksay played Cory’s little sis Morgan in the show’s first two seasons, and the role was recast with Lindsay Ridgeway for the remainder of the series. In a moment of tongue-in-cheek hilarity, both actresses appeared in the finale of GMW, where they sat side by side. “I don’t think we’ve ever been in the same place together,” Morgan #2 (Ridgeway) cheerfully announced. “No,” replied Morgan #1 (Nicksay).
While both appeared on GMW, neither has been up to much acting wise since BMW wrapped. Ridgeway has dabbled in singing (she sang a few national anthems at LA Angels games) while also getting her master’s degree in counseling. Nicksay has stayed more involved with acting, appearing on shows like The Mentalist and a few several independent films. Her latest film, Killing Animals, which is still in development, also stars James Franco.
5. Jack Hunter (Matthew Lawrence)
Shawn’s half-brother entered the foray in season five, instantly upping the show’s cute boy quotient by like, a million. Since his time as Jack Hunter ended, Matthew Lawrence has kept busy appearing on TV while also shooting indie movies, one of which, 2016’s Evol, earned him a supporting actor award at the Hoboken Film Festival.
Like many other BMW alums, Lawrence reprised his role as Jack in GMW in season two’s “Girl Meets Semi-Formal.” He has also guest-starred on his brother Joey’s show, Melissa & Joey, and had a small part on Workaholics. Lawrence most recently made headlines when it was revealed that he'd rekindled his relationship with Dancing with the Stars’ Cheryl Burke. He has two more independent films, Desperate Waters and Better Than Love, slated for release this year.
4. Eric Matthews (Will Friedle)
Fewer moments are more signature BMW than when Eric gave one of his infamous Feeny calls. So BMW fans won’t be too surprised to learn that Eric has put that vocal talent to use in the years since the show ended. Over the past decade and a half, Will Friedle has quietly become one of the more productive and versatile voice actors working today.
Best known outside of the BMW world for providing the vocals for Terry McGinnis, aka the lead character from Batman Beyond, Friedle also voiced Lion-O in the 2011-12 Thundercats animated series, and has appeared as Nightwing in Batman Unlimited. He is currently providing the voices of multiple characters on Transformers: Robots in Disguise, and he’s also the voice of Star-Lord on Disney XD’s Guardians of the Galaxy animated series. Friedle has also dabbled in scriptwriting, penning episodes for both Girl Meets World and Thundercats, and the actor surprised fans by tweeting news of his wedding to a mystery woman last year.
3. Mr. Feeny (William Daniels)
Everyone’s favorite teacher has been quite active in retirement. Daniels appeared on GMW, as well as dozens of other television shows, including an arc on Grey’s Anatomy. Throughout his storied career, Daniels provided the voice of Michael Knight’s vehicle, KITT, in Knight Rider, and Daniels is known to still occasionally lend KITT’s vocals to shows like The Simpsons, or to video games like 2015’s Lego Dimensions.
Most recently, in March 2017, Daniels released his autobiography, in which he explains why he didn’t want to be in BMW when he first heard about it, initially rebuffing the show’s creator. “I told him I didn’t want to play a high school teacher who’s made to look foolish for the sake of some cheap laughs. I had too much respect for the underpaid, underappreciated teachers of this country to portray one of them as a fool.” Pretty sure you nailed it, Mr. Feeny.
2. Topanga Lawrence (Danielle Fishel)
After BMW ended, Danielle Fishel has been quite the active lady. She had some guest-starring roles in sitcoms and low-budget films like Dorm Daze before finding her niche as a hostess with the mostess on The Dish, which aired on the Esquire network and was like a blend of The Soup and E’s Fashion Police.
She has also seamlessly blended a career in entertainment with higher education: she earned a degree in Psychology from California State University in 2013, after which she promptly resumed her acting career. Fans of Gravity Falls might have heard her pop up when she voiced Pyronica in season two, and, of course, she resumed her starring role as Topanga in GMW. She also directed four episodes of GMW and wrote another, all while co-producing the series. Her experience in the director’s chair may have been the start of something new for Fishel—according to her website, she will now be pursuing a full-time career as a director.
1. Cory Matthews (Ben Savage)
The man behind Cory Matthews has done very well while meeting the world, thank you very much. Like Fishel, he managed to balance a career in television and film while also getting a solid education after BMW ended in 2000. He graduated Stanford with a degree in Political Science in 2004 before getting right back into acting. Prior to resuming his role as now-dad Cory Matthews on GMW, he had small guest-starring parts on shows like Chuck, Criminal Minds, and Bones, to name a few. He has also starred in several short and independent films, including Palo Alta.
Like Fishel, Savage has expanded his portfolio to include work behind the camera. He also co-produced Girl Meets World, and he directed ten episodes of the series. Look for him this summer in a recurring role on the CMT comedy series Still the King.
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