Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Original Topanga From 'Boy Meets World' Reveals The Heartbreaking Reason She Was Fired

Bonnie Morgan
Paul Archuleta/Getty Images

On the 'Pod Meets World' podcast, Bonnie Morgan recounted how she was just 12 years old when she was cast as Topanga on the hit series—and was fired after just one day on set.

An image of teenage Danielle Fishel immediately appears in one's mind at just the mere mention of the name "Topanga."

The Boy Meets World star appeared in all seven seasons of the hit show, but another actor was originally hired to play Cory's long-time love interest.


Originally cast as Topanga, actor Bonnie Morgan was fired after just one day on set. Fishel, on the other hand, was on set to play a minor character—a classmate—and was asked to audition later for the part that launched her career.

Regardless of her success, though, Fishel always wondered about Morgan and was finally able to get in touch with her.

Morgan appeared on Monday's Pod Meets World podcast and revealed what went down... a story she's never publicly shared with anyone.

You can watch the moment here:

The actor revealed the role of Topanga was brought to her by showrunner Michael Jacobs after she auditioned for one of his other shows, The Torkelsons.

She explained:

"I had three callbacks, they kept bringing me back."
"Every time I'd audition we'd talk a lot, and every time I'd come, the script would change slightly, it seemed, to things that we had talked about."

Morgan shared their were some disagreements about her casting, but ultimately "Michael [Jacobs] won" and she was cast as Topanga.

But it seemed as if the debate was still in the air.

"I didn't know that you could get fired."
"It was the weirdest day of my life."
"Even as a kid I was like, 'What's going on here?'"
"I came in and all the adults were very short with me."

She continued:

"The table read was great fun, it was all there."
"It couldn't have gone better with everyone around."
"The minute I was separated out, it was another story."

As filming started, things just got worse.

Morgan shared Ben Savage, aka Cory, was joking around with her and trying to get her to break character during rehearsal.

"At this point I was becoming a nervous wreck. I couldn't get his name—the opening line, 'Cory.'"
"I would guffaw 'Cory' and David [Trainer] was just like, 'Get it together!'"
"I'm trying to pull it together and hold it together in sheer fear, and Ben kept doing this thing to crack me up and I was breaking and giggling."

Then there was a moment involving the way Morgan said the word "peace," a moment even Fishel distinctly remembered.

Morgan wasn't saying the word "sweet" enough.

"So I said it sweeter and he went, 'No, I want you to say it...' and he got really close to me, '...like you're saying happy birthday'."
"I was so tiny at that moment and I just said, 'Okay, I will'."
"And he goes, 'Do it'."
"And I said, 'I thought you meant during the take,' and he goes, 'Do it now, wish me a happy birthday'."

Morgan didn't find out she was fired from the show until the next day when her agent called her father.

She was rightfully "shattered."

"I had been with my agent for a very long time, I'd been working with her a very long time."
"The director said that I couldn't take direction, which was one thing I'd never been accused of."

But when her agent called them out on that inaccuracy, they shared another reason.

"My agent immediately fought back on that one."
"It came out very quickly to my agent that the director didn't think I was pretty enough. Literally did not think I was pretty enough."
"So that meant that a grown man, a boss, could lie and tell me I was untalented because the fact was he didn't think I was pretty."
"I'm taking away the thing you want most in the world, that was all but written for you, it's because you're not talented."
"Sorry, I lied, it's just because you're not pretty."

Listeners of the podcast applauded Morgan for opening up about her experience.

They also expressed their disgust over the reason behind her early exit from the show.

@podmeetsworldshow/Instagram

@podmeetsworldshow/Instagram

@podmeetsworldshow/Instagram

@podmeetsworldshow/Instagram

@podmeetsworldshow/Instagram

@podmeetsworldshow/Instagram

@podmeetsworldshow/Instagram

On the podcast, Rider Strong—who played Shawn Hunter on the series—thinks the decision was made before the more uncomfortable moments.

"My theory is that they made the decision at the table read."
"The reason you felt so awkward is that whoever was pushing against you - whether that was David Trainer alone or someone at the network - decided after that table read, and then you were dead man walking the entire day."

But Morgan wasn't so sure.

"I truly believe that David Trainer decided the minute the phone call was made that he was going to get rid of that kid come hell or high water, and what a thing to do to somebody."

Both Fishel and Morgan could agree, though, that the deeper issue lied within the adults dueling for power.

Fishel said:

"It was another storyline that was playing out behind the scenes and were just characters in the play."
"And we never would have known that had we not talked."

Fortunately, Morgan is a woman of many talents.

Aside from being a talented actor, which earned her multiple TV and film roles, she is also a professional contortionist.

Those powers combined landed her the role of the one and only Samara from The Ring.

More from Entertainment/tv-and-movies

Walmart store with tweet overlay
Scott Olson/Getty Images; @ruledbymercuryy/X

A Woman Just Found Her Mom's Cheap Walmart Grocery Receipt From 2006—And We're Furiously Sobbing

Feel like bursting into tears and then hurling your phone at the wall? Well then you've clicked on the right story!

A woman on X (formerly Twitter) has the entire internet sobbing after sharing an old Walmart receipt of her mom's grocery run from 2006.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; gaz pump in Albany, New York
Aaron Schwartz/AFP via Getty Images; Jim Franco/Albany Times Union via Getty Images

Anti-Trump Stickers Keep Getting Spotted On Gas Pumps—And They're Absolutely Brutal

MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's decision to join Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in attacking the country of Iran directly caused gas prices in the United States to soar and even Trump's MAGA minions aren't happy about it.

Many who are turning their back on Trump have cited the POTUS's negative impact on their cost of living and the influence Netanyahu, himself under investigation by his own country for corruption, has over the Trump administration.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Jude Cloud
@judercloud/Instagram

Former MAGA Fan Goes Viral With Video Explaining What Finally Made Him Dismantle His Conservative Beliefs

Influencer Jude Cloud revealed in a video message how he ended up discarding the MAGA conservative beliefs he grew up around, describing his evolution from holding “fiscally conservative, socially liberal” ideals to being a "terribly woke" queer leftist.

Cloud, who boasts nearly 58,000 followers on Instagram, said he actually used to go "door-to-door" stumping for "one of [President Donald] Trump's closest friends in Congress, adding that he "used to say, 'I think, therefore I am conservative.'"

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Todd Blanche
CNN

Trump's AG Sets Off A Firestorm With Claim That Americans 'Want Their Tax Dollars Spent On' Trump's $1.8 Billion Slush Fund

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is facing heavy criticism after claiming that Americans "want their tax dollars spent on things like" President Trump's $1.8 billion slush fund that may go to his allies and those who participated in the January 6 insurrection.

The Justice Department said last week it was creating the fund as part of a deal in which Trump agreed to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS. But despite a press release, memo, and a newly-released settlement agreement, many details about the program remain unclear.

Keep ReadingShow less
Khloé Kardashian
Khloe in Wonder Land/YouTube

Khloé Kardashian Under Fire After Admitting She Had Her Two Cats Declawed After Being 'Misadvised'

Getting a new pet is a big commitment, and when you decide to take the plunge, you should commit to keeping them for their full lifetime.

But if you're going to get an animal that you have no prior experience with, you also have to commit to doing your research so you can care for them properly. While getting advice from a fellow pet owner is helpful, it's always good to double-check their facts.

Keep ReadingShow less