Boy Meets World Stars Describe Final-Season Pay Gap

In Book Meets World, the actors’ account of the sitcom, Strong said he wanted to leave the show after its sixth season to focus on college. He mistakenly believed his contract already required him to return for season seven, and a conversation with creator Michael Jacobs cleared up that the seventh season—not an eighth—was being discussed. Strong said he then realized he could have left when his existing contract ended.

Strong recalled entering the meeting alone and said he felt his manager and agent had not advised him to walk away or negotiate more effectively. He later regretted signing on for the final season. He also said his manager benefited financially when he continued working.

Savage, who played Cory Matthews, had been accepted to Stanford and used his plans to attend college as leverage, Strong said. Strong described Savage’s resulting raise as substantial, with earnings nearing those of actor William Daniels, known for portraying Mr. Feeny, whose compensation was almost $100,000 an episode. Friedle wrote that he and Strong earned far less. Danielle Fishel’s pay rose to $30,000 per episode for the final season, according to the book, still below the men’s reported earnings.

Strong said cast members’ lack of communication helped produce the differences, and suggested they might have negotiated together if they had compared salaries. Representatives for Savage and Jacobs were contacted for comment, but no response had been received.