These days, it's easy to brace for impact when you see a headline about a show or movie you once loved.
So often, media we loved when we were younger can feel dated for more than just fashion—like the actions of its characters, who too often espoused attitudes that are now rare outside of more conservative circles.
This kind of "oh, darn" revelation was what had some Boy Meets World fans worried when a scene from a 2000 episode came back into prominence. But they were happily surprised when the video showed a gay joke that has actually withstood test of time.
In a clip that was released on Reddit, the family goofball and sometime-emotionally-insightful character of Eric Matthews approached some football players that had been picking on him and his friend, and wielded the deepest of early 2000s insults: calling the football player gay.
The character that Matthews "accused" of being gay introduced the twist in the interaction, pausing for a moment and then reaching out to Matthews and thanking him for helping him to come out.
He then turned to his teammates and said he was gay, to which one responded:
"That's okay, so are we."
Here's the scene:
from boymeetsworld
Folks were a little nervous when the Reddit thread started.
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But actually, it was a really sweet and unexpected turn.
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People pointed out that the character of Eric Matthews often had insight beyond his character's otherwise goofball personality.
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The whole show was pretty progressive even back then.
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People who weren't even into the show remembered how influential this episode was to them and their friend group.
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There was discussion about whether this part of the episode aired, or if it had only done so back then and had been cut for re-runs.
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Boy Meets World can be seen on Disney+.