During the Thursday, October 26, episode of “Pod Meets World,” Fishel, 42, took a trip down memory lane via an old diary she wrote in 1996 and recently rediscovered. She detailed one particular entry from February of that year when she was forced to spend the day with Strong, 43, and Cook, 44, while they were dating.
“I had the sh–test day. First of all, school was boring, rehearsal sucks and Rider was antisocial,” Fishel read from the journal, causing Strong and their fellow cohost, Will Friedle, to laugh. “That’s such a nice way to say I was grumpy,” Strong quipped in response.
Fishel explained she was “bummed out” over Strong’s lack of social interaction because she was crushing on him hard at the time. When Friedle, 47, questioned whether Fishel had feelings for Strong while dating Jonathan Taylor Thomas — whom she famously dated throughout the mid-’90s — Fishel claimed that there was no overlap.
“Jonathan and I were not necessarily dating at this time, we were really off and on regularly over the years,” she said before noting that the diary entry ended with her professing her love for three different boys. “I love Landon and Rider and David,” she read, claiming she has “no clue” who David is, but she “went to high school” with Landon.
Fishel then continued reading another passage, which detailed her mixed feelings on Cook, who dated Strong in the late ’90s.
“Then we went to acting class but we had to wait for Rachael,” Fishel recounted, pointing out that the word “Rachael” was underlined in annoyance. “Then Rider and Rachael got all lovey-dovey, and it made me want to puke. Then they kissed, and it looked so cute. She’s actually really sweet and cool, but I really like Rider. I don’t think she’s right for him. Then again, maybe I’m not either.”
Rider Strong and Danielle Fishel on “Boy Meets World” ABC/YouTube
As Strong pointed out how “reasonable” Fishel was about her crush — even complimenting Cook despite clearly feeling jealousy of her romantic rival — Friedle was surprised by how “real” her emotions were for Strong.
Strong, for his part, insisted that he had “no idea” Fishel had been crushing on him, adding that it was understandable due to how close they were at the time.
“I do remember we were hanging out in ’96 because I could drive, so you actually spent time with me alone,” he said. “I do remember during this period, like, you would come to my apartment. So, yeah, I guess we were spending a lot of time together.”
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Fishel first revealed her costar crush during an August 2022 episode of “Pod Meets World,” sharing what initially drew her to Strong. “He was so smart, and … one of my favorite things about Rider — and it continues to this day — [is that] Rider is very effusive,” she said. “He will tell you how he feels and he’s very free with his compliments, but he doesn’t throw them out willy-nilly. When he compliments you, it is thoughtful, it has meaning, and you can tell it’s coming from a very real place.”
Though she confessed that she probably “annoyed” him when she first joined the cast, Fishel recalled them eventually forming “a very nice, deep friendship and we had very meaningful conversations.” Explaining that they took the same acting class for a while, Fishel recounted: “I remember getting a … very real compliment from Rider. And then feeling like, ‘Oh, my God, I love you.’”
Danielle Fishel and Rider Strong on “Boy Meets World” ABC/YouTube
Fishel’s admission took both of her “Pod Meets World” costars by surprise, with Strong initially believing that her comment was a joke. “That’s not true. That’s not true, you never told me that. You saved that for 30 years?” he asked, while Friedle gasped and laughed in the background. “So …I was your first celebrity crush. [It was] Jonathan Taylor Thomas and me. You really had the teen magazine thing covered way through the ’90s.”
While Fishel never connected romantically with Strong off-screen, there was one Boy Meets World cast member who did manage to steal her heart.
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“The only person on the show I ever had a romantic relationship with was Matthew Lawrence,” she explained, adding that they kept the relationship secret from the rest of the cast during filming. “We did not want it to be a big deal on set. [But] I went to his prom. Our moms were friends. It was cute.”
In addition to Lawrence, 43, and JTT, Fishel also dated Lance Bass from 1999 to 2000, with the ’NSync member even accompanying her to her prom. She tied the knot with Tim Belusko in 2013 but the pair called it quits 2016 years later. She wed Jensen Karp in 2018 and the pair share sons Adler and Keaton.
Strong, meanwhile, dated Cook in the ’90s before meeting Alexandra Barreto while filming their 2006 TV series Pepper Dennis. After six years of dating, the pair got engaged. They tied the knot in 2013 and welcomed their son, Indy, in 2014.
