‘Boy Meets World’ Was a Disney Hit But Former Star Trina McGee Reveals How Awful Behind the Scenes Were

Boy Meets World was a smash hit and it made stars of many of its lead actors. However, it turns out that not all actors were treated the same. Trina McGee, who played Angela Moore in the show’s last three seasons, recently opened up about how her experience differed from that of her white co-stars. In a new episode of the “Pod Meets World,” a rewatch podcast, McGee recounted numerous racist statements made to and about her and that the cast wanted her excluded from the show’s final episode.

It’s been twenty years since Boy Meets World ended and while she was afraid to speak about the insulting treatment then, McGee now feels comfortable talking about what happened and the pain that it caused.

“This Is Some Ground We Have Not Covered…”

“Pod Meets World” featuring McGee was hosted by former stars of Boy Meets World, Rider Strong, Danielle Fishel, and Will Friedle. Each expressed shock as McGee told her side of the story.

“This is some ground we have not covered. I was told, in kind of a weird, off-handed way by a very important person, that you guys all went to [showrunner] Michael Jacobs, and you said, ‘We don’t want her in the last episode. She’s somehow taking our light.’ [That] was the gist of it,” McGee explained.

At the Time, McGee Had No Idea Why She Was Not Written Into the Final Episode

McGee played Shawn Hunter’s (Rider Strong) girlfriend on the show. “I was told that after I shot what was the show before the last episode, which was called ‘Angela’s Ashes’ when I left. When Michael announced to me, we’re going to do another show on Angela, I was so happy, not knowing this was going to be the show before the last show.”

“Why Aren’t We on the Last Show?”

“I remember after we taped the show, I had said to a person, ‘Why aren’t we on the last show?’ Because I know the last show was going to be the one with the ratings and the crying and all the stuff. I was under the impression that y’all got together and did not want me in the last show, for some reason I was going to take some shine or something to that effect,” McGee shared. 

“That Was Really Hurtful to Me”

“That was really hurtful to me for a long time. To make it worse, people of color tend to look into things a little harder sometimes. So I had cousins calling me, saying, ‘How come you weren’t in the last episode? They just gave you that whole show so that you’d be distracted and wouldn’t be in the show with the real ratings?’ Several of my cousins, my family members were telling me this… I have honestly had that in my head for 20 years.”

Will Friedle Called McGee’s Treatment “Sociopathy”

Friedle was not happy about McGee’s claim on the podcast. “Can we say for the record, Trina, that never happened,” he said. “That’s not competitiveness, that’s sociopathy. This pisses me off. This is next level.”

McGee Said That She Never Watched That Show

McGee kindly replied to Friedle, “I believe you. I can tell by your reactions. I have had that in my head for so long, and I’ve never watched that show. I’ve always felt like, ugh… That hurt me a long time.”

Actors VS Actors

While Fishel and McGee remembered being pitted against each other by producers of the show, the men said that it wasn’t the same for them.

“Manipulated All the Time”

“It’s true that we weren’t played against each other, but I won’t go so far to say we weren’t manipulated,” Strong said.

“Oh no, that’s different. Manipulated all the time. But it wasn’t whispering in one ear, whispering in another ear about something else,” Friedle responded.

An Interacial Relationship That Was Never Acknowledged

McGee also looked back at an op-ed that she wrote for the Daily News, in which she defended the fact that Boy Meets World didn’t address that Shawn and Angela were in an interracial relationship. She shared on the podcast that her publicist and husband actually wrote the piece, which was published under her byline, but that she didn’t agree.

“I Was Very Confused at the Time”

“I was very confused at the time about whether to talk about it or not — I had two realms of thinking: my job and mankind,” McGee said. “It wasn’t totally my organic view. Funny enough, a rebuttal was written to the Daily News by Lorraine Toussaint, who said, ‘No, you must acknowledge that these are two different races getting together…’ If I had to do it over and I could take my real stance — hindsight and everything — I would have wrote the opposite article.”

Strong Remembers Talking About It at the Time

Strong also remembered talking to McGee about the topic, also wondering why they weren’t discussing it.

Working with Black Casts VS White Casts

Before the family sitcom, McGee had starred in multiple sitcoms with Black casts, including A Different World, Martin, and Family Matters.

McGee’s “Black Meter”

“Coming from Black sitcoms, I always had to have like a Black meter… My Black meter was probably down to a 2. I remember when I was doing ‘Angela’s Ashes’ episode, somehow my Black meter had slipped up and I was at about a 9. Michael came over to me and his note was, ‘Hey Trina, just turn down the Telma Hopkins about eight notches,’” she said, noting that the producer was referencing the Black Family Matters actor. “I knew exactly what he was talking about and I did. … There are so many things you guys are so lucky you didn’t have to think about.”

The Red Head Scarf Incident

Some years ago, McGee and Friedle had an interaction they shared on set that he says completely changed his life. They recounted the conversation on the podcast, noting that on set, McGee came out of a dressing room in a red headscarf.

“I’m Gonna Make Fun of You”

“In my head, I attached no cultural significance to that whatsoever. I saw a person who I thought was my friend but didn’t know very well, wearing a big, red hat. That’s all I saw,” Friedle recounted. “I was like, ‘You’re part of the cast, so that means, I’m gonna make fun of you the same way I make fun [of others].’ I thought, ‘Gonna make fun of her red hat.’ That’s as far as my dumbass, privileged mind saw. So right before I walked on for my part, I walked by and went, ‘Love your syrup,’ and walked on to the set, thinking ‘Boom, zing! Just got her for her hat.’”

McGee Could Not Let the Aunt Jemima Joke Stand

After the scene, McGee told Friedle his comment referring to her as Aunt Jemima was not okay.

9.

“I remember saying to you, ‘I assumed that was like you calling me the jolly green giant.’ You were like, ‘No, that’s not the same thing at all.’” Friedle said. “Never use the time as an excuse but the mid-90s, I had no idea of the cultural significance of the Aunt Jemima character, any of that stuff… I had never heard that! I was mortified.”

“Literally Shaking”

After she explained the offensive comment to him, he apologized and they hugged — but he was “literally shaking” afterward. McGee recalled feeling “very small,” to which Friedle responded, “How could you not?”

“You Can’t Just Say Stuff”

“It literally changed my life,” he continued. “That moment was the moment where I was like, you can’t just say stuff. You can’t throw stuff out there, because you think it’s funny and walk away. You could be hurting people.”

McGee Had Gone Public About the Comment from Friedle in 2020

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A post shared by Trina Colette McGee (@trinamcgeeofficial)

After posting tweets in 2020 about the incident and publicly voicing her pain, McGee was able to have a healing conversation with Friedle. Because of that, she encourages this kind of dialogue to move away from “cancel culture” and to create teachable moments instead.

“A Journey of Thinking”

“He wrote a long email to me,” McGee said of Friedle’s apology at the time. “He said that it was a journey for him since that day that he had called me Aunt Jemima. And it was a journey of thinking about himself, thinking about what he’s been taught as acceptable to other cultures … what might hurt people.”

Fishel Also Publicly Apologized at the Time

McGee also received an apology from Fishel, who explained her cold behavior toward McGee during their reunion on Girl Meets World was because she was going through a personal situation. The two, who played best friends in the series, have a positive relationship today.

“I owed @realtrinamcgee an apology for being rude, cold, & distant when she guest starred on GMW (her tweet regarding warm hellos being met with cold blank stares was about me),” Fishel tweeted. “Trina and I spoke over a month ago and she gracefully accepted my apology.”

Trina Has Yet to Hear from Ben Savage

Despite many of the main Boy Meets World cast members issuing apologies, one person has remained silent on the issue. Actor Ben Savage who played the lead character, Cory Matthews, has yet to issue any sort of apology or statement about McGee, who was the show’s only Black cast member.

McGee Claims the Two Do Not Speak

“I do not talk to Ben Savage at all,” she said.

Savage was contacted for comment but he did not respond.

The Reckoning

It’s been 20+ years but we are pleased that some of the cast members of Boy Meets World are holding themselves accountable. It is unfortunate that the producers and showrunner, Michael Jacobs have yet to make any sort of statement or apology.

We hope that McGee has a sense of vindication following the conversation she started about racism and Boy Meets World. A few paragraphs before, we shared an image of the cast as well as the crew behind the show. Take a look at all of those faces and you will see a sea of white. Clearly, there was an issue there.

If you enjoyed this piece, you might also like reading about the cast of Princess Bride. The film just turned 35 and you might be wondering what the cast of the movie has been up to over the last few decades!

‘Princess Bride’ Just Turned 35! Whatever Happened to the Cast?

Princess Buttercup

Before she played Princess Buttercup, Robin Wright was known for her role, Kelly Capwell, on the soap opera Santa Barbara from 1984 to 1988. Today, she’s more recognized as Claire Underwood in Netflix’s House of Cards, a role that earned her a Golden Globe Award for best actress in 2013. She has also received consecutive Emmy nominations for the role of the outstanding lead actress in a drama series from 2013 to 2017.

Robin Wright

Wright, 56, famously played Jenny in Forrest Gump alongside Tom Hanks in 1994. More recently, she had a prominent role in Wonder Woman in 2017. She not only acts, but she has also become a seasoned producer and director as well. She directed several episodes of House of Cards and Ozark. Wright directed her first, feature film Land in 2021.

More to Learn About Robin Wright

She was married to Sean Penn from 1996 to 2010. They have two children together, Dylan Frances and Hopper Jack. She married Clement Giraudet in 2018, though filed for divorce in September 2022, People reported at the time.

Audiences can expect to see the Princess Bride again in 2023 in Ben Young’s Where All the Light Tends to Go.

Westley

“As you wish,” was spoken and we all swooned. Yes, the Princess Bride character Westley was a childhood crush for many of us which made seeing Cary Elwes cut his limbs off in the horror film, Saw a couple of decades later even more traumatic. He played Dr. Lawrence Gordon in the 2004 scary movie.

Cary Elwes

Elwes, 59, was a staple of campy classic movies from the 1990s as he also starred in Mel Brook‘s Robin Hood: Men In Tights. Audiences have seen the actor make the leap from feature films to TV as he appeared recently in Stranger Things, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and his voice for Family Guy.

Iñigo Montoya

Princess Bride‘s Iñigo Montoya is one of the greatest characters ever written! Yes, after settling a disagreement with a six-fingered man, the character lodged himself into our hearts. Before appearing in Princess Bride, Mandy Patinkin already had a fruitful acting career on the stage, on television, and in feature films.

Mandy Patinkin

In 1983, Patinkin starred opposite Barbara Streisand in Yentl. The role brought the actor acclaim and mainstream fame. Following the movie, he would go on to be cast in countless roles. The actor was seen in Chicago Hope, Dead Like Me, and Criminal Minds before he starred in Showtime’s smash hit, Homeland.

More About Mandy Patinkin

His excellent work has earned him seven Emmy nominations, including a win for lead actor in 1994 for Chicago Hope, and three Golden Globe nominations. Today, you can find him playing a fake judge on the series The Good Fight.

Count Tyrone Rugen

Count Tyrone Rugen, a.k.a. the Six-Fingered Man, had a thick bunch of facial hair and longer locks which made the actor who played him, Christopher Guest unrecognizable. He has continued acting mostly in comedies since his role in Princess Bride. But, he’s more famous for his work behind the camera these days.

George Guest

Guest is best known for writing, directing, and starring in a series of comedic films that pioneered the “mockumentary” style. His first being 1988’s This Is Spinal Tap was released before his turn as the sadistic count in Princess Bride. His movie series featured many of the same actors and continued with Waiting for Guffman, Best In Show, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration, and Mascots.

He is married to Jamie Lee Curtis and they tied the knot in 1984.

Vizzini

“You’re trying to kidnap what I’ve rightfully stolen,” is one of the many fabulous lines from Princess Bride delivered by Vizzini, a criminal mastermind in the movie. The character was played by the national treasure who is Wallace Shawn.

Wallace Shawn

Before appearing in Princess Bride, Shawn had an impressive film career that began in the 1970s including My Dinner with Andre and Manhattan. After his scene-stealing role in Princess Bride, the actor would go on to make a big impression in small roles in films like Clueless and as a T-rex in the Toy Story franchise.

Audiences can catch him today appearing in The Good Fight (with his old pal Mandy Patinkin) and in Young Sheldon.

Miracle Max

“You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles,” Miracle Max says in Princess Bride. The cameo role was played by Billy Crystal who was a rising star before he landed the role. Although, he was completely unrecognizable thanks to the impressive makeup and prosthetics the film’s crew outfitted him.

Billy Crystal

The actor’s star continued to rise after Princess Bride premiered, with a string of hits like 1989’s When Harry Met Sally, 1991’s City Slickers, and 1999’s Analyze This. He also provided the voice of Mike Wazowski in the Monsters, Inc. franchise.

Crystal, 74, has served as the host of the Oscars a total of nine times, beginning in 1990 and most recently in 2012. He just wrapped a run on Broadway in Mr. Saturday Night.

Prince Humperdinck

“Tyrone, you know much I love watching you work. But I’ve got my country’s 500th anniversary to plan, my wedding to arrange, my wife to murder, and Guilder to frame for it. I’m swamped!” Prince Humperdinck, heir to the throne of Florin says in Princess Bride.

It’s one of the most memorable and funny lines from the movie. Before appearing in Princess Bride, Chris Sarandon was nominated for an Oscar for his work in 1975’s Dog Day Afternoon.

Chris Sarandon

Since then, Sarandon, 80, has had a successful voice acting career. For instance, he was the voice of Jack Skellington in The Nightmare Before Christmas.

If his name feels familiar to you it is because he was married to one Susan Sarandon from 1967 until 1979. Currently, he is married to actor Joanna Gleason.

The Grandson

Fred Savage‘s role as the sick, quick-witted grandson helped win him the lead role of Kevin Arnold on The Wonder Years, which premiered in 1988, the year after Princess Bride hit theaters.

He was made famous by the roles and would go on to pursue voice acting as an adult before becoming a prolific television director. He has over 70 directing credits working on everything from Boy Meets World to Modern Family. But, it has not been without controversy.

Fred Savage

As Mamas Uncut reported at the time, Savage in August of 2022, six women came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct and unwanted sexual behavior on the set of ABC’s reboot of The Wonder Years. As a result, he was fired from his directing job.

RELATED: Fred Savage’s Colleagues Allege Sexual Harassment During ‘The Wonder Years’ Reboot

Fezzik

Andre the Giant’s rhyme-obsessed Fezzik was the perfect foil to Shawn’s maniacal Vizzini, and their scenes together are, without a doubt, some of the funniest moments in the Princess Bride. “It’s not my fault being the biggest and the strongest. I don’t even exercise,” Andre famously deadpans in the movie.

Andre the Giant

The French wrestling champ was a true legend in and out of the ring. Standing at 7-ft., 4-in. and weighing in at 520 lbs., Andre was a WWF Heavyweight Champion sometimes billed as the Eighth Wonder of the World.

 He died of congestive heart failure in 1993 at the age of 46.

The Grandfather

One of the film’s biggest stars at the time of its release, Falk was already famous for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in Columbo from 1968-2003. The role earned him four Emmy awards and a Golden Globe.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Is There Anything More Iconic Than Princess Bride? ‘Prepare to Die’ When Reading These 33 Iconic Princess Bride Quotes

Peter Falk

He was also a two-time Oscar nominee, first for 1960’s Murder, Inc. and then for 1961’s Pocketful of Miracles.

Falk died in 2011 at the age of 83.

There you go! We hope you found out what the cast of Princess Bride is up to these days. If you would like even more awesome Princess Bride content, keep reading for the best quotes from the highly quotable movie!