Celebrities having crushes on and dating other celebrities is nothing new. Boy Meets World’s Danielle Fishel made a name for herself in the 1990s when guys like Rider Strong, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, and Leonardo DiCaprio were plastered on millions of teenagers’ walls. Despite working in the television industry, Fishel was no different from other teenage girls with her crushes, and her status as an actress meant that some teen heartthrobs were closer to her than others. In fact, Jonathan Taylor Thomas became her first boyfriend.
The Boy Meets World alum opened up about teenage love life while doing a Q&A session on Pod Meets World. She divulged her crush on Home Improvement’s Jonathan Taylor Thomas as she, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle opened up about their celebrity crushes. Once Danielle Fishel referred to JTT as her first crush, Strong hinted that Thomas was more than just a crush to Fishel. After her co-star subtly put her on blast, the former child star revealed the Home Improvement star was her first boyfriend.
After I already had the crush on Jonathan, and then yes, Jonathan was my first boyfriend, when I was like 12.
That was some 1990s tea no one knew they needed in 2022! Who knew Topanga Lawrence and Randy Taylor were an undercover couple? What fans wouldn’t have given to see them out and about! Their young love led to a sweet and funny moment from another Fishel crush: former late-night host David Letterman. She explained:
As a matter of fact, my first boyfriend Jonathan Taylor Thomas, then got to be a guest on the David Letterman show. He came home with a signed Letterman headshot from David Letterman to me, and it said, 'Dear Danielle, be nice to Jonathan.'
So being JTT’s girlfriend had its perks like getting celebrity autographs, along with a funny message from Letterman! When their relationship ended, Danielle Fishel moved on to another Hollywood crush. This time, it was Leonardo DiCaprio. The Girl Meets World alum explained how Titanic led to her having the biggest crush on DiCaprio.
When Titanic came out, I was just beyond for Leonardo DiCaprio, I mean disgusting. I mean I had the biggest crush. I used to be like ‘I’m going to marry that guy.’ So, yeah, I did have a crush on Leonardo DiCaprio. But that feels weird to me because I was 16 or something.
Fishel was just one of many young women who wanted to take Rose’s place in the Oscar-winning epic. She seemed to fall for the Wolf of Wall Street actor as the charming Jack Dawson. Who knew?!
The 41-year-old television personality has been spilling information for some time. Daniell Fishel recalled the harsh criticisms she received upon landing the Topanga role, leading her to think she was going to get fired. She reflected on having her first kiss with former co-star Ben Savage as her parents and grandparents watched on. Fishel even opened up about her final TGIF years being tainted by her need to move on from Topanga.
If you want to be more secrets from Boy Meets World, you can listen to Pod Meets World as Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle rewatch episodes of the ABC sitcom. You can revisit every season by getting a Disney+ subscription.
