Whatever Happened To Danielle Fishel?

Every era has its share of beloved coming-of-age sitcoms. Shows like "The Wonder Years," "Freaks and Geeks," and "Derry Girls" demonstrate how different eras and parts of the world may shift their depictions of growing up, but the awkwardness, for the most part, never changes. In the mid-1990s, one of the biggest sitcoms around was "Boy Meets World."

Though the show focused on the life of Cory Matthews (Ben Savage), the most enduring character is most likely his love interest, Topanga Lawrence. Played by Danielle Fishel, Topanga was an idealized but still believable role model for fans of the show; she's intelligent, quirky, and independent. Fishel made the role her own and created one of the most memorable network TV characters of the era. Not bad for someone who encountered her share of professional struggles before, during, and after her career-making role.

Many child actors have trouble living up to expectations after having such a huge breakout part, but Fishel found success in a number of different areas. Here's where else you can find the woman behind Topanga, in acting and beyond.

When "Boy Meets World" came to an end in 2000, Danielle Fishel was riding high. She appeared on a few magazine covers and was definitely thought of as a rising star in Hollywood. What big career step came next for the former Topanga?

Outside of a few small roles in TV movies and guest spots, that career step took the form of starring in "National Lampoon's Dorm Daze," which saw a limited theatrical release and holds the honor of having zero positive critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. With review pull-quotes like "National Lampoon used to mean 'good comedy.' Now it's considered a warning," this is a movie you might want to stay away from.

"Dorm Daze" was part of a weird genre of films that coasted on the National Lampoon brand recognition, boasted a tiny budget, and are full of raunchy humor and softcore nudity. Fishel would go on to reprise her role in the direct-to-DVD sequel (this time, it's on a cruise ship!), but it would be a while before she started landing non-embarrassing roles again.

One of the reasons Topanga is such a beloved character is the breezy, self-assured attitude that Fishel brought to the role. She was smart and unique, but she carried herself with a confidence that almost forced you to believe in her. While major acting roles didn't seem to come her way after "Boy Meets World," Fishel still found herself on plenty of TV sets as a host.

Fishel eventually became the co-host of the MTV game show "Say What? Karaoke" for its final season, alongside "The Real World" contestant Steven Hill. She showed off her comedic delivery as the host of Style Network's "The Dish," a sister-show to the talk show-skewering E! series "The Soup."

"The Dish" was actually a pretty good steppingstone for Fishel, as it provided her with pathways into other hosting gigs. Though not all of her shows lasted very long, they helped prove that there was more to Fishel than just Topanga Lawrence.

Being a teenage star takes a toll on many actors, and Fishel was not immune. She had some serious issues with her body image while she was on "Boy Meets World," and that led directly to one of her most notable career moves after the sitcom ended.

A few years after "Boy Meets World" came to a close, Fishel appeared as a guest on "The Tyra Banks Show," where she told the host that she had started the Nutrisystem diet and lost a good deal of weight. Her appearance apparently resonated — not only did she become an official Nutrisystem spokesperson afterward, but she regularly returned to "The Tyra Banks Show" as a correspondent.

Later, she opened up more about her struggles with her weight and body image, telling People that fame, fan expectations, and negative comments had taken a major toll on her mental health. It sounds like she eventually overcame those issues and found herself in a much better place.

Danielle Fishel showcased her hosting abilities on a number of traditional TV shows, but she also showed that she was fit for a more modern hosting gig. In 2013, she became the face of a Popsugar YouTube series called "Dear Danielle," where she provided advice on sex, dating, and love for the channel's audience.

"Dear Danielle" only lasted for about 20 episodes, but it was yet another example of Fishel showing off her natural charisma and charm. Some of the episodes are standard advice-style videos where Fishel addressed a specific question or comment from a user. Others delve more into skit territory, like her "How to Spot a Cheater" episode where Fishel donned mirrored sunglasses and a "CSI" jacket to show viewers the telltale signs to watch out for.

Ultimately, "Dear Danielle" didn't last, possibly because of its odd pairing of nostalgia and target demographic. A good portion of Popsugar's teenage audience in the early 2010s would've been too young to remember "Boy Meets World" from its late-'90s heyday, and thus, might not have recognized Topanga. 

Nostalgia is the gift that keeps on giving — seemingly any movie or show that's remembered fondly is ripe for a reboot, sequel, prequel, or reimagining. In 2014, fans of "Boy Meets World" seemingly got a sequel-relaunch hybrid: a show that features several members of the original cast reprising their roles and storylines from the original series. That's right: With "Girl Meets World," Topanga was back on TV.

"Girl Meets World" premiered on the Disney Channel in June 2014. It focuses on Riley Matthews, the teenage daughter of Topanga and Cory, as she navigates through school and relationships, along with all the drama that comes alongside those things. Both Fishel and Ben Savage returned to their roles from "Boy Meets World," hitting the nostalgia buttons for a number of parents who sat down to watch the new series with their kids. "Girl Meets World" didn't just coast on that nostalgia aspect, though. It had a positive critical reception and was able to bring the spirit of the original show into a new era.

After three seasons, "Girl Meets World" came to an end, but creator Michael Jacobs searched to find a new home for the story to continue. It seems unlikely at this point, but never say never — maybe we'll see Riley's kid navigate the halls of high school sometime down the line.

By now, it should be fairly obvious that Danielle Fishel can be relatable and endearing, even while she's being celebrated as a generational sitcom crush. Her personality, plus her easy communicating style that she honed as an actor and host, lends itself perfectly to a memoir. In 2014, Fishel made that happen when she released "Normally, This Would Be Cause for Concern: Tales of Calamity and Unrelenting Awkwardness."

In her memoir, Fishel definitely dishes some stories of her time on "Boy Meets World" and other acting roles, but it isn't a juicy, tell-all story of tabloid fodder. Instead, Fishel uses her experiences to express certain themes — she seems to relish in her imperfections, and certainly has no issues with sharing some of her most embarrassing stories.

One of her memorable stories revolves around a Halloween party gone wrong. Fishel wore very tall heels and wound up tripping on an uneven sidewalk. She remembers being picked up by a "terrifyingly handsome" giant — a man she later identified as Ben Affleck. In her woozy state, she was more worried about bleeding on the star than about any injury she might have suffered. It's a fun, breezy read if you enjoy memoirs.

If you want tons of behind-the-scenes stories about "Boy Meets World," Danielle Fishel and some of her fellow castmates have just the solution for you. Fishel, Rider Strong (who played Cory's best friend, Shawn), and Will Friedle (who played Cory's older brother, Eric) began a rewatch podcast in 2022 called "Pod Meets World."

As a rewatch podcast, episodes of "Pod Meets World" tend to focus on specific episodes about which the hosts share stories and memories. It's a pretty fun listen — the cast of "Boy Meets World" were just kids when the show began, and they literally grew up before the eyes of the audience. In addition to Fishel, Strong, and Friedle, other actors and crew members from the series make appearances to talk about their roles and what they remember of filming such a well-loved series. They even invite superfans of the show to talk about what "Boy Meets World" meant to them.

Like most of Fishel's work, "Pod Meets World" is a fun and easy listen. Even if you aren't a huge fan of "Boy Meets World," it's tough to not crack a smile hearing the trio discuss what it was like growing up in front of America.

Though Fishel has made quite a name for herself as approachable and self-deprecating, she's also shared a few pretty scary stories of her time on "Boy Meets World." Considering she was a literal teenager on the show, some of her stories are not for the faint of heart. If eating disorders or harassment issues make you uncomfortable, consider skipping ahead to the next slide.

Fishel has often shared stories about her struggles with her body image, often due to societal pressures and comments from her show's audience. She says that "Boy Meets World" was an especially difficult time for her. She told People that, when she was 16, she weighed 89 pounds, took laxatives, and would sometimes eat only iceberg lettuce for her meals. She actually collapsed on set one day, and she eventually realized that her health was more important than forcing her body to adhere to impossible standards.

An even more creepy story involves fan correspondence. When Fishel first started on the show, she received a letter from a girl her age who was a fan. She began writing back and forth with the girl — who turned out not to exist. Fishel's mother eventually figured out that it was a grown man catfishing her. Fishel is able to discuss the situation now, so it seems like things got figured out, and the incident gave her and her costars a chance to talk about setting boundaries between actors and their fans.

If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who does, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).

Considering Fishel's charisma and experience working in the sitcom environment, it should come as no surprise that she has found herself in the director's chair on occasion. She seems to be a go-to director for several Disney sitcoms — which makes perfect sense, considering she can address some of the flaws she experienced during her "Boy Meets World" run.

Her first directorial experience came in 2016 for an episode of "Girl Meets World." She wound up directing four episodes of that show and has sat in the director's chair for several series since then. Some of her other directorial credits include "Sydney to the Max," "Raven's Home," "Coop & Cami Ask the World," and "The Villains of Valley View."

In March 2023, Fishel got the chance to direct her first non-Disney show: an episode of the NBC series "Lopez vs. Lopez." Considering how many credits she's racked up in such a short time, it would not be surprising to see Fishel's name on the credits of many more sitcoms moving forward.

Let's take a mental trip together back in time to March 2021. As tends to happen in the era of social media, the internet's viral story-of-the-week was a man named Jensen who claimed to have found dried shrimp tails in his box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Jensen (full name Jensen Karp) is a comedian and Cinnamon Toast Crunch superfan. On March 22, 2021, he tweeted out an image that seemed to show cinnamon-sugar-covered shrimp tails that were mixed into a box of his cereal. There was plenty of back-and-forth with the social media accounts at General Mills, as they claimed it couldn't have occurred at their facility and asked Karp to send in the box so they could investigate.

If you're wondering what this has to do with Danielle Fishel, she and Jensen Karp are married and have children together. And yes, multiple Twitter users pointed out the odd coincidence of a man named Karp, a woman named Fish(el), and the mysterious case of the cereal shrimp tails.

Even weirder — just a little over a year prior to this incident, Fishel put out a sponsored tweet for a new Coffee Mate coffee creamer flavor. The flavor? Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

If you've watched and rewatched "Boy Meets World" and "Girl Meets World," you might be wondering where else you can watch Fishel act. We already mentioned "National Lampoon's Dorm Daze" and its sequel, but we promise she has better roles on offer than those two movies.

Fishel hasn't had much luck on the movie side of things. Sandwiched between the "Dorm Daze" films was a straight-to-DVD sci-fi film called "Game Box 1.0," which you may also want to skip. She also starred in the 2015 film "Boiling Pot." She had a role in the bizarre but short film "Clapping for the Wrong Reasons" starring and written by Donald Glover, and she voiced Donna Goldstein in the animated film "The Chosen One."

You remember that one, right? We all remember 2007's "The Chosen One."

Outside of her hosting roles, most of Fishel's television work has been on the voice over front. She voiced Pyronica on a few episodes of the much-loved series "Gravity Falls," and she also voiced a librarian on "Star vs. The Forces of Evil."