The Biggest Revelations From 'Boy Meets World' Documentary 'Doc Meets World' — Including Ben Savage's Estrangement From the Cast

The trio of Boy Meets World dropped major bombshells 26 years after the classic coming-of-age sitcom concluded.

The new documentary film, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 6, featured Boy Meets World alums Rider Strong, Will Friedle and Danielle Fishel as they lifted the lid on the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding the show — including their fallout with series creator Michael Jacobs.

Although Fishel defended Jacobs, Strong lambasted the alleged "abuse cycle" involving the creator, particularly the showrunner's reported treatment of the young cast.

Matthew Lawrence, who played Jack Hunter from Seasons 5 to 7, joined the conversation, sharing, "The first major run-through, Michael Jacobs just. undressed my performance. I think his line was, 'OK, there's like 140-something notes for Matthew Lawrence.' Initially, the ego came into play and I honestly thought, I'm not going to go back; I'm going to say I have a conflict of interest; it's not good for me emotionally.' I was done."

He later acknowledged Jacobs' tough-love approach, noting it may have played a role in his development as an actor.

Still, Strong remained firm in his impression of Jacobs.

"There's a lot that I owe to Michael, but I needed to cut him out of my life and let him know that I don't condone his behavior," he said.

In the documentary, Strong admitted he wanted to "get away" from Boy Meets World toward the end of the show.

"I wanted so badly to make my own identity away from the show," he explained. "Without realizing it, I isolated myself from [his] castmates. An unfortunate side effect of wanting to get away from BMW is I ended up cutting out the people who were closest, who knew me better than almost anybody."

Although he initially hesitated to do the "Pod Meets World" podcast due to fears he might alienate fans, the program reportedly helped the cast reconnect and brought them closer together.

Much of the conversation in Doc Meets World centered on Ben Savage, who did not participate in the project amid his reported rift with the cast.

Friedle, Fishel and Strong revealed their costar stopped communicating with them after they launched the podcast in 2022. Savage was initially cordial but uninterested in participating in the trio's digital media program, and he later became so distant that he unfollowed them on Instagram and blocked their numbers.

Strong added, "I feel sorry that he's missing out on the experience that Danielle and Will and I are having."

"[It] makes me sad sometimes when I think about the fact that I would love to just know, like, 'How's it going? What's happening now? What are the milestones that are being checked off?'" Fishel later added.

Meanwhile, the Batman Beyond voice actor said he still texts Savage "probably at least once a month" since he still has a "slight hope he'll reach out one day."

"I really do miss him. He's arguably one of the funniest people I've ever met in my life," Friedle added.

During the conversation in the documentary, Strong revealed he was "never close" with Savage, even before their apparent rift began.

Still, he recognized they formed a "mind meld as performers and trusted one another."

Fishel, who has been married to Jensen Karp since 2018, opened up about her career regrets while starring in Boy Meets World.

"By the time I got to Season 6, I felt like the show was stopping me from doing other things — and by the way, I'm not sure what those other things were other than being, like, boy crazy," she said. "The show ended and I didn't understand. Like, now is the time you are supposed to be out auditioning all the time."

Although her mother tried to get her to audition, Fishel was reportedly "so burnt out" that she "did not want to do anything at all."

"If the set experience had been different those last couple seasons, maybe I would have been different," she continued.

Strong said Fishel is the one who has "changed the most" among them, recalling she used to be on "a new trip, a new person."

In Doc Meets World, Friedle appeared to reference his past relationship with Jennifer Love Hewitt while discussing his very first panic attack experience.

"I had a panic attack, the world spun, and I passed out," he remembered. "Doctor came down and said, 'I think you're having an anxiety attack,' and I said no I'm dying … I didn't know if I was going to be able to do it."

At the time, he was working on Boy Meets World while filming the Disney movie H-E Double Hockey Sticks.

Friedle then revealed he had just "broken up with [his] first love," and he learned his ex was "already dating someone new." He also attributed his struggles to lifestyle choices, including not exercising, poor eating habits and frequent weed and cigarettes use.

He continued, "For a lot of people, it could have happened once and that would have been it whereas for me, I get in my head about it. I didn't know what it was and I just started spiraling."

Doc Meets World also uncovered Girl Meets World alleged issues, with producer Frank Pace saying Jacobs was both "great" and a "nightmare" to work with.

"Michael was horrible," Pace added. "He reemed the entire young cast; he didn't think they upheld the [legacy] of Boy Meets World. Rowan [Blanchard] was crying; Sabrina [Carpenter] was crying."

Fishel admitted she joined the spinoff believing it would center on the friendship between Riley and Maya. While Jacobs initially supported the idea, the show reportedly shifted its focus toward a romantic storyline.

"Eventually, I got the courage to push back and I started confronting Michael. And that did not go over well," she recalled.