Rider Strong Critiques Boy Meets World Episode

Rider Strong, actor from Boy Meets World, expressed his discomfort filming the episode titled 'If You Can't Be With the One You Love', which addresses underaged drinking and was ultimately banned from airing on Disney Channel due to its mature themes. In a recent episode of the 'Pod Meets World' podcast, Strong described the filming experience as 'miserable', noting that he struggled with how to convincingly portray drunkenness. The episode features Cory, played by Ben Savage, turning to alcohol to cope with a breakup, leading to troubling consequences for Strong's character Shawn, who continues drinking despite the negative impact. Strong criticized the episode's tonal shifts, stating that it seemed unrealistic for Shawn's character to transition from carefree fun to grappling with alcoholism in such a short time. He also mentioned that the episode felt heavy-handed in its message, failing to deliver a nuanced portrayal of the issues at hand. Co-host Danielle Fishel echoed Strong's sentiments, highlighting that Shawn faced little in the way of consequences for his actions throughout the episode.