Danielle Fishel Finally Admits She Had A Crush On This 'Boy Meets World' Co-Star

Actress Danielle Fishel admitted to fans that she had a crush on her co-star Rider Strong from "Boy Meets World" after 30 years. The star who played Topanga on the 1993 sitcom confessed to the longtime attraction to the star who played Shawn, Cory's best friend.

The actress revealed the secret during an episode of the "Pod Meets World" podcast. When asked by a fan if she liked any of her co-stars, she immediately owned up to her feelings for the actor at the time. Strong was very surprised by the revelation.

Keep reading to find out more.

Strong was shocked to discover that he was Fishel's dream boy at the time. The actress admitted on the podcast (per Page Six), "I had a crush on Rider," to which Strong responded, "Whaaat?!" He also felt bad for just finding out after such a long time. He said, "That's not true; you've never told me that!"

He was also surprised that the "Girl Meets World" star could keep the secret for so long. He said, "You saved that for 30 years?!" and asked her to say more about the crush. Fishel then revealed that the crush started in the first season and continued "through Season 2."

When asked why she explained that she saw him as the perfect boy, she said, "He was so smart, and, you know what? One of my favorite things about Rider — and it still stands to this day."

She also said that she liked that he was very outspoken. "Rider is very effusive," she said. "He will tell you how he feels." She also revealed that the actor was good with words, saying, "He is very free with his compliments, but he doesn't throw them out willy-nilly."

Strong's compliments played a huge part in Fishel's crush on him at the time. She recalled how much she loved them and how sweet they were. She said, "When Rider compliments you, it is thoughtful, it has meaning — it's coming from a very real place."

The 41-year-old then recalled one time she gushed over a particular compliment from the star while they were acting. She said, "I remember getting a very real compliment from Rider, like: 'You my friend are doing incredible work.'"

The "Boiling Pot" actress also revealed to fans that she kept a diary where she wrote about her crush on Fishel. She said, "I found a diary that I wrote for like three months of us being on 'Boy Meets World.'"

Thinking back to the time, Fishel said she felt very embarrassed about the crush and her diary entries. She said, "It was so embarrassing because I would end the diary [entries] with like 'P.S. I love…'" The actress also revealed that she had other crushes that she wrote about in her diary. She also added that "there's like four people I loved. And Rider was one of them!"

Strong was excited to be part of the people she wrote about at the time. In response, he yelled, "I made the list at one point?!"

While fans were excited to hear about the crush, they weren't surprised as they had previously shipped the stars. Their characters, Topanga and Shawn, once shared a beautiful kiss in season six of their '90s show.

In the episode, Shawn and Topanga kissed passionately while filming a commercial. While fans wished they got together in real life, the two celebrities didn't and are now happily married to different partners.

The former "Boy Meets World" stars are now married to their partners with children. Strong announced his wedding to the love of his life Alexandra Barreto in 2013. They welcomed their beautiful son Indigo a year later, in 2014.

On the other hand, Fishel wedded producer Jensen Karp five years later in 2018. They also welcomed their first child a year later, in 2019. The two stars and Will Friedle, a cast member from the show, are co-hosts of the "Boy Meets World" influenced podcast, which they started in June 2022.