Rider Strong's Emotional Breakdown: Inside 'Boy Meets World' Rehearsals

BOY MEETS WORLD BOMBSHELL: Rider Strong Spills Secrets About His Emotional Breakdown on Set!

Get ready for a blast from the past, folks! Boy Meets World alum Rider Strong is taking us back to the good old days of 1999, when he was still reeling from the emotional toll of playing Shawn Hunter. In a juicy new episode of his podcast Pod Meets World, Strong dished about having a complete meltdown while rehearsing a pivotal scene in Season 6.

The scene in question, "Getting Hitched," sees Shawn ignoring calls from his half-brother Jack (Matthew Lawrence), who's trying to help him clean out their late father Chet's (Blake Clark) trailer. But what seemed like just another dramatic moment on the show was actually a breaking point for Strong himself.

"I had my breakdown during rehearsal," he confessed, revealing that he was feeling utterly drained by his character's constant drama. "I was like, 'Why do they keep throwing this at me?' I felt like I was saying the same thing every week, and it just got to be too much."

And what made things even more complicated? Shawn's father, Chet, had passed away earlier in the season, leaving a gaping hole in the show. Strong explained that playing out this scene, where Shawn learns his dad wasn't paying for his college tuition after all, was like opening up old wounds.

"It was a really emotional time for me," he admitted. "Playing the character of Shawn, who's never had a good relationship with his dad... it was tough to get into that mindset every day."

Fellow Boy Meets World star Will Friedle, who played Eric Matthews, chimed in on the podcast, saying, "I think it's amazing that Rider stayed committed to that scene and didn't leave. It's like he finally let himself feel something real for once."

Fast forward to 2021, when Strong looked back on his time on Boy Meets World with a newfound appreciation. "That show said, 'No, no, no, this is an important time of your life,'" he reflected. "It was about exploring those formative years and finding who you are. I think that's a really beautiful message."

And speaking of beautiful messages, Strong recently took to Instagram to plug the Pod Meets World podcast tour. Sharing a poster with his 273,000 followers on the platform, he wrote, "We're super excited to see all of you there! Check the link in my bio for ticket details!"

Boy Meets World aired from 1993-2000 and launched the careers of its young stars, including Rider Strong, Ben Savage (Cory Matthews), and Matthew Lawrence (Jack Hunter). A spinoff series, Girl Meets World, followed in 2014, starring Sabrina Carpenter as Cory's daughter Riley.

So, what are you waiting for? Grab your nostalgia-loving friends and get ready to relive the good old days of Boy Meets World!