‘Boy Meets World’ stars discuss fellow actor’s child molestation charge

PHILADELPHIA — In Monday’s episode of “Pod Meets World,” the podcast recapping episodes of ABC’s long-running Philadelphia-based sitcom “Boy Meets World,” former child stars Danielle Fishel (Topenga), Rider Strong (Shawn), and Will Friedle (Eric) talk about their experience working with convicted sex abuser Brian Peck, according to Variety.

In 2004 Peck, who was a guest on two “Boy Meets World” episodes, was convicted of sexually abusing an unknown Nickelodeon child actor and spent 16 months in prison. Peck’s story will be featured in the upcoming “Quiet on Set” docuseries that looks at past alleged abuse at Nickelodeon.

Neither Strong or Friedle accuse Peck of touching them in appropriately, but they admitted feeling weird around Peck, who, they said, had inappropriate relationships with young people on set. Strong remembered being close to Peck.

“This was the type of thing where the person he presented was this great, funny guy who was really good at his job, and you wanted to hang out with,” Friedle said. “I saw him every day, hung out with him every day, talked to him every day.”

Peck called Friedle crying when he was accused of the crime. “My instinct initially was, ‘My friend, this can’t be. It’s gotta be the other person’s fault,” Friedle said.

But he came to regret that decision, especially after he sat in support of Peck in the courtroom during the trial.

“We were sitting in that courtroom on the wrong side of everything,” Friedle said. “The victim’s mother turned and said, ‘Look at all the famous people you brought with you. And it doesn’t change what you did to my kid.’ I just sat there wanting to die. It was like, ‘What the hell am I doing here?’ It was horrifying all the way around.”

Strong and Friedle wrote letters to the judge in support of Peck, they said on the podcast. They are living with the guilt.

“We weren’t told the whole story, but it doesn’t change the fact that we did it,” Friedle said. “I still can’t get the words out to describe all of the things that I’m feeling inside of myself.”