‘Boy Meets World’ stars Will Friedle and Rider Strong detail alleged grooming by guest star Brian Peck

nypost.com:

“Boy Meets World” stars Will Friedle and Rider Strong recalled a painful experience they allegedly endured with guest star Brian Peck.During the “Pod Meets World” Feb.

19 podcast, Friedle, Strong and Danielle Fishel were joined by family therapist Kati Morton. Per the episode’s official description, the group discussed “the difficult subjects of grooming, childhood sexual abuse and their effects on victims.”Peck, 63, made an appearance in Season 5 of the hit ABC family sitcom in 1997.

On the episode, Strong, 44, and Friedle, 47, alleged that Peck was a groomer and a manipulator.In 2004, Peck was charged with eight counts of sexual abuse and spent 16 months in prison for crimes against an anonymous Nickelodeon child star.Friedle noted that he befriended Peck and said it “was the type of thing where the person he presented was this great, funny guy who was really good at his job and you wanted to hang out with.”Fishel — who revealed she wasn’t close with Peck — believed that his open homosexuality was probably a reason why his bad behavior went unnoticed in the late ’90s as the decade had “rampant” homophobia.“The other adults on set who maybe could have or should have said, ‘Why are you guys going to lunch with this guy?’ ‘Why is this guy going to Rider’s house for a party?’ ” she said.The “Girl Meets World” star, 42, went on: “There was probably a part of them that didn’t say it because they were afraid it was going to be taken as homophobia, instead of, ‘This is a boundary, gay or not.