Will Friedle and Rider Strong, former stars of Boy Meets World, delve into their time on the beloved ABC series in the latest episode of the Pod Meets World podcast. They reflect on working alongside Brian Peck, known for his roles as an actor and dialogue coach on various children’s TV programs prior to his stint on Boy Meets World.
Peck made guest appearances in two episodes during Season 5 of the coming-of-age sitcom, which aired on ABC from 1993 to 2000.
On the February 19 episode of the Pod Meets World podcast, Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle engage in a candid discussion with marriage and family therapist Kati Morton. They tackle sensitive topics such as grooming, childhood sexual abuse, and their lasting impacts on victims.
The focus of the episode is on Brian Peck’s time on Boy Meets World, particularly his involvement in a disturbing incident.
In 2004, Peck pleaded no contest to charges of committing a lewd act against a child on the show, resulting in a conviction and a 16-month prison sentence, along with mandatory registration as a sex offender.
Additionally, Peck is set to appear in “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” a forthcoming four-part ID docuseries uncovering the toxic environment behind Dan Schneider’s Nickelodeon children’s shows from the late 1990s to the early 2000s.
The typical format of the Pod Meets World podcast, starring Friedle, Strong, and Fishel, involves recaps of Boy Meets World episodes intertwined with behind-the-scenes insights into the filming process.
However, today’s episode took a different turn in response to a request for a statement about Peck for Quiet On Set.
Opting to utilize their podcast platform instead, the trio diverged from their usual format. Friedle shared that he formed a friendship with Peck shortly after the latter joined the show. Freddie told the co-hosts,
“I didn’t really go to parties. I didn’t really do that stuff. But I was working a lot after Boy Meets World, and this guy had so ingratiated himself into my life, I took him to three shows after Boy Meets World ”
“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 … I saw him every day, hung out with him every day, talked to him every day.”
Strong disclosed that despite the significant 20-year age gap between him and Peck, they spent considerable time together outside of work. Additionally, Fishel added that the cast members, including herself, would frequently socialize with Peck, who was openly gay, often enjoying lunches together.
“‘Why are you guys going to lunch with this guy’? ‘Why is this guy going to Rider’s house for a party?”‘, Fishel said. “There was probably a part of them that didn’t say it because they were afraid it was going to be taken as homophobia, instead of, ‘This is a boundary, gay or not. This is a boundary about adults and kids.’”
When Peck was arrested in 2003, Friedle recounted receiving a distressing phone call from the actor, during which Peck was in tears and promptly shifted blame away from himself, portraying the situation as the fault of his victim. Friedle admitted to initially believing Peck’s narrative, stating, “My instinct initially was, ‘My friend, this can’t be. It’s gotta be the other person’s fault.’ The story makes complete sense the way that he’s saying it.” Neither Friedle nor Strong were fully aware of the severity of the case against Peck at the time.
“He didn’t say that nothing had happened. So by the time we heard about this case and knew anything about it, it was always in the context of, ‘I did this thing, I am guilty. I am going to take whatever punishment the government determines, but I’m a victim of jailbait. There was this hot guy! I just did this thing and he’s underage.’ And we bought that storyline.” Rider said.
“I never heard about the other things because, back then, you couldn’t Google to find out what people were being charged with. So in retrospect, he was making a plea deal and admitting one thing, which is all he admitted to us, but it looks like he was being charged with a series of crimes, which we did not know.”
Peck had requested support from Strong and Friedle during his court proceedings, and both actors agreed. They wrote letters to the judge advocating for Peck’s defense.
“We’re sitting in that courtroom on the wrong side of everything … 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,’” Friedle shared. “I just sat there wanting to die. It was like, ‘What the hell am I doing here?’ It was horrifying all the way around.”
“We weren’t told the whole story, but it doesn’t change the fact that we did it. I still can’t get the words out to describe all of the things that I’m feeling inside of myself.”
Friedle revealed that he continues to be deeply affected by the experiences he and Strong went through to this day. He said,
“There’s an actual victim here. And he turned us against the victim to where now we’re on his team. That’s the thing where, to me, I look back at that as my ever-loving shame for this entire thing.”
“Getting taken in by somebody who’s a good actor and a manipulator, I could chalk that up to being young and that’s the way it is. It’s awful. I’m going to use that for my growth as a human being, but when there’s an actual victim involved and now I’m on the abuser’s side, that’s the thing I can’t get over and haven’t been able to get over.”
