| Pod Meets World | |
| Hosting: | Rider Strong Danielle Fishel Will Friedle |
| Genre: | Rewatch podcast |
| Began: | June 29, 2022 |
| Provider: | iHeartPodcasts |
Pod Meets World is a rewatch podcast hosted by Rider Strong, Danielle Fishel, and Will Friedle. The hosts rewatch episodes of their 1990s sitcom Boy Meets World, share behind-the-scenes memories, and interview other actors and producers who were involved with Boy Meets World.[1] [2]
The podcast premiered on June 26, 2022. It is produced by iHeartPodcasts.[3]
According to Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong first had the idea for the podcast in 2018. Though Ben Savage was initially in discussions to co-host the podcast, he ultimately decided not to. Fishel said in 2022, "And so we talked about all the different ways we could do it. And at the end of our conversations, Ben said, 'I just don't think it's for me.' And we get it. So we're respecting his decision. And if he eventually wants to come on, we'll leave that door open."[4]
Episodes of the podcast are either interviews or discussions of an episode of the series. According to Rider Strong, he had not seen many episodes of the series since they first aired in the 1990s. For the podcast, Strong is rewatching the episodes with his son, and the podcast sometimes features recordings of Strong's son's reaction to the episodes.
The podcast has received mostly positive reviews. Avery Thompson of Hollywood Life called it "the podcast we didn't know we needed."[5]
The podcast gained a bit of controversy in February 2024 on their episode discussing guest star and crew member Brian Peck, a convicted sex offender. As revealed in the docuseries , Friedle and Strong were amongst the public figures who wrote letters of support for probation during Peck’s 2004 trial regarding allegations of child sexual abuse. Although both have stated regret for their support at the time, many criticized them for this for not giving a direct apology to the victim, who was later revealed to be former child star Drake Bell.[6] After Bell called out Friedle and Strong multiple times, he eventually forgave Strong after speaking with him, tweeting about it on April 5.[7]