Who did Brian Peck play on Boy Meets World? Rider Strong and Will Friedle open up on disturbing allegations against the former

Boy Meets World actors open up about the manipulation they claim they experienced by guest star Brian Peck. On Monday, February 19, 2024, Rider Strong and Will Friedle, along with former co-star Danielle Fishel, discussed Peck and their past relationship with the actor with family therapist Kali Morton on their rewatch podcast Pod Meets World.

Trigger Warning: This article contains references to sexual abuse of a minor, reader discretion is advised.

Actor and narrator Brian Peck guest starred in minor supporting roles on Boy Meets World. He appeared in two episodes as a cowboy and a character named Ookie, respectively. Despite his minute roles, he formed a close connection with Strong and Friedle, then teenagers, despite being 20 years their senior.

In 2004, 63-year-old Peck was convicted of sexually abusing an unknown 16-year-old Nickelodeon child actor. Back then, both Strong and Friedle extended their support to Beck and even wrote letters to the judge advocating for his character.

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Brian Peck's crimes are explored in an upcoming docuseries Quiet on Set

Brian Peck was convicted in 2004, charged with eight counts of s*xual abuse, and subsequently served 16 months behind bars. When he was on trial, the disgraced actor asked both Rider Strong and Will Friedle to support him in court, to which they agreed. The actors added that they weren't aware of the charges against him at the time.

Rider stated they socialized with the 63-year-old "all the time." Will elaborated Brian Peck presented himself as a "funny guy who was really good at his job," someone who people would want to "hang out with." Recalling his close relationship with Peck, he stated:

"I didn’t really go to parties. I didn’t really do that stuff. But I was working a lot after ‘Boy Meets World,’ and this guy had so ingratiated himself into my life, I took him to three shows after ‘Boy Meets World."

When news of an accusation against Peck initially surfaced in 2003, he reached out to Friedle, "instantly spinning it to where it wasn’t his fault, it was clearly the fault of his victim." Friedle, for his part, believed his friend. He explained that Brian's description of events at the time seemed to paint the 16-year-old as the aggressor who s*xually pursued Peck.

As per Variety, Strong elaborated that they were given a vague context. Brain told them he "did this thing. (He was) guilty," and he was going to accept whatever punishment was given, but added that he was a "victim of jailbait." Rider added that, at the time, there was no Google for them to know the series of charges against the actor.

Will expressed shame at being manipulated by Peck to turn against the victim. He remarked that getting "taken in" by a "good actor and manipulator" can be attributed to being young and inexperienced; however, he added:

"When there’s an actual victim involved and now I’m on the abuser’s side, that’s the thing I can’t get over and haven’t been able to get over."

Recalling the trial where they were sitting in the courtroom "on the wrong side of everything," Friedle explained he felt like "wanting to die," calling it "horrifying."

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Brian Peck has not released any statements about the development.