“I think there was a sense of like, ‘Oh God, the Lawrences are coming,” Strong said on Matthew’s podcast with his famous brothers, Andrew and Joey.

Why Rider Strong was ‘against’ Matthew Lawrence joining Boy Meets World: ‘We don’t need him’

"I think there was a sense of like, 'Oh God, the Lawrences are coming," Strong said on Matthew's podcast with his famous brothers, Andrew and Joey.

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

EW's editorial guidelines

February 22, 2026 8:32 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Rider Strong and Matthew Lawrence with Blake Clark on 'Boy Meets World' in 1999. Credit:

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

- Rider Strong is looking back on his initially frosty feeling toward *Boy Meets World *costar Matthew Lawrence.

- On a recent episode of the Lawrence brothers podcast *Brotherly Love*, Strong revealed that he felt like the comparatively much more famous Matthew was "being imposed on us" by ABC, so he was at first "against" his casting.

- Strong then recalled that once the cast "talked to you, hung out, we were like, 'Oh no, this is fine.'"

Rider Strong's biggest fear on the *Boy Meets World* set wasn't fear itself, but a Lawrence brothers invasion.

The actor who played soft-hearted rebel Shawn Hunter joined his former costar Matthew Lawrence and his brothers, Andrew and Joey Lawrence, on Friday's episode of their *Brotherly Love *podcast. After a lengthy discussion on the ins and outs of Hollywood stardom and professional life in the entertainment industry, Matthew asked Strong point-blank about what he "thought about me when I came on to *Boy Meets World*."

Matthew confessed to being "much shyer and kind of introverted than people quite understand," but recalled those qualities being frequently confused for his being "kind of an ass." Strong responded with equal candor.

The cast of 'Boy Meets World': Rider Strong, Ben Savage, Matthew Lawrence, Will Friedle, and Danielle Fishel.

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

"I feel like we figured that out about you within the first year," Strong at first reassured his former costar. But then ventured, "I would say all three of you guys were very intimidating" for the *Boy Meets World *cast, "because you guys were like the established Hollywood people. You were the very successful set of brothers who had become superstars and done all this stuff. So for us, I think there was a sense of like, 'Oh God, the Lawrences are coming.'"

At that admission, the Lawrence brothers dissolved into pained, but not altogether surprised laughter. It's true that when Matthew joined the ABC sitcom in 1997 as Jack Hunter, Shawn's estranged half-brother, he and his brothers were at the height of their fame.

Their sitcom, also called *Brotherly Love*, premiered on NBC in 1995. It aimed to cash in on Matthew, Joey, and Andrew's already blinding levels of collective adoration from fans. Joey was beloved for playing Joey Russo on *Blossom*; Andrew also appeared on *Blossom*,* *but scored his own series with *Tom *the year before; and Matthew had already starred in films and series like *Dynasty*, *Mrs. Doubtfire*, and John Hughes' *Planes, Trains and Automobiles*.

Strong explained that when Matthew "came on set, I think there was this like, 'What is he doing here? Does he even need to do this?' It sort of felt like you were being imposed on us.' It was like [the] network wants a Lawrence on our show, and we were like, 'But we don't need him.'"**

'Boy Meets World' star Rider Strong recalls how he 'lost it' working on emotional episode

'Boy Meets World' cast: See where the stars landed 25 years after graduating from the hit sitcom

The Lawrence brothers laughed once more when Strong mentioned that he thought he'd never "understand this world that these guys are so comfortable in." Matthew cried out that "lo and behold," they were "so uncomfortable in it" the whole time.

Strong finally recalled how, when Matthew finally "showed up and you were shy," things began to change.

"I was against it, but once we talked to you, hung out, we were like, 'Oh no, this is fine' [I] totally got to know you, but yeah, it was more about your reputation as a family," Strong said.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

Ironically, Strong and the middle Lawrence brother would have to play family for three seasons on *Boy Meets World*. Their journey from a fractious dynamic and rocky road to fraternal camaraderie was rooted in the fact that Shawn grew up in poverty, facing constant adversity, while Jack grew up in a stable household without wants. It also proved one of the most compelling of the series, leading to Matthew remaining a core part of the cast until *Boy Meets World *aired its finale in 2000.

Strong and Lawrence also reprised their roles on several episodes of the sequel series, *Girl Meets World *in the 2010s.

- Celebrities & Creators

- Entertainment Industry Roles

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Actors”