Did these two OG Boy Meets World stars just accidentally shade the entire industry’s child safety record? Spill the tea, bestie!
Danielle Fishel, the ageless wonder at 45, and Rider Strong have been giving us MAJOR protective parent vibes when it comes to the Girl Meets World spinoff. And honestly? We’re living for the responsible energy. The dynamic duo recently opened up to Us Weekly about their “innate responsibility” to keep the younger cast members safe on set, and we’re here for every single word of this wholesome but slightly shady narrative.
“I think we’re all protective of kids on the set,” Fishel revealed during a fabulous chat at the Doc Meets event on Saturday, June 6. Notice how she said “we’re all”? Translation: everyone should be doing this, but apparently not everyone gets the memo. The implication that they had to take matters into their own hands is SENDING us right now.
Rider Strong and Danielle Fishel serving as the unofficial set guardians is giving mentor energy, and we absolutely cannot stop gushing about it. These two weren’t just reprising their roles as adults on the spinoff—they were basically running a daycare operation with a six-figure budget and a Disney+ contract. The responsibility these icons felt toward the next generation of child stars? Chef’s kiss.
The fact that Fishel had to emphasize this protective instinct tells us everything we need to know about Hollywood’s track record with young talent. It’s refreshing to see someone actually giving a damn about the wellbeing of child actors, but it’s also kind of depressing that it even needs to be mentioned, right? These two really said “the children are OUR responsibility,” and that’s the kind of energy the industry desperately needs.
Fans have been absolutely GUSHING over the revelation that their fave childhood stars maintained their wholesome, caring personalities into adulthood. Social media has exploded with comments praising Fishel and Strong for being the real MVPs of the set. One Twitter user wrote, “THIS is what mentorship looks like,” while others flooded Instagram with heart emojis and comments about how lucky the Girl Meets World cast was to have these two protecting them.
The Boy Meets World legacy just got a whole lot more endearing, honestly. Not only did Fishel and Strong give us iconic ’90s television, but they also proved they’re the kind of humans who actually walk the walk when it comes to protecting vulnerable young performers.
What do you think? A) Danielle and Rider are the heroes the industry needs B) This should be standard practice, not noteworthy?