- Bonnie Morgan says she was replaced as Topanga on "Boy Meets World" because she wasn't "pretty enough."
- Morgan recalled her firing on the June 25 episode of the "Pod Meets World" podcast.
Bonnie Morgan says she was initially cast as Topanga Lawrence on "Boy Meets World" but was replaced when the show's director, David Trainer, thought she wasn't "pretty enough" for the role.
Morgan made the revelation on the June 25 episode of "Pod Meets World," a "Boy Meets World" rewatch podcast hosted by the show's actors, Rider Strong, Danielle Fishel, and Will Friedle. Morgan said she was dismissed after experiencing a few setbacks during day one on set.
"Boy Meets World" (1993-2000) ran for seven seasons and followed Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) as he navigated adolescence, school, and love.
Following her firing, Morgan, who was 12 at the time, was replaced by Fishel, who played Topanga for the duration of the series.
"The director said that I couldn't take direction, which was one thing I'd never been accused of," Morgan said on the podcast. "My agent immediately fought back on that one."
Trainer directed 45 episodes of the ABC series and was also a supervising producer.
"It came out very quickly to my agent that the director didn't think I was pretty enough," Morgan continued. "Literally did not think I was pretty enough, so that meant that a grown man, a boss, could lie and tell me I was untalented because the fact was he didn't think I was pretty."
Representatives for Trainer did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
According to Morgan, she was fired when things took a turn after Trainer was unsatisfied with her line delivery.
She said the line was "Peace," and Trainer wanted her to say it "sweeter" like she was saying "Happy Birthday."
Trainer wanted her to adjust her delivery for the next take, but instead, he said, "Do it now. Wish me a happy birthday," according to Megan.
She complied, and afterward, Trainer said, "Good. That's better," according to Morgan.
Morgan was surprised by her dismissal from the series as the role almost seemed tailored to her.
"Even the name was out of my parents' love history," Morgan said of Topanga. According to Entertainment Weekly, Morgan's parents married at Topanga Canyon in California.
In addition to tension with Trainer, Morgan remembers Savage attempting to get her to laugh and break character while delivering her lines during a table read.
"At this point, I was becoming a nervous wreck," she said. "I couldn't get his name — the opening line, 'Cory, I would like a — Cory' — and David was just like, 'Get it together.' And I'm trying to pull it together and hold it together in sheer fear, and Ben just kept doing this thing to crack me up."
"The people who were nice to me were nice. Everyone who was lovely was lovely, but it was the strangest day on set I had ever had," Morgan continued.
Morgan said her parents received a call the next day that she was fired.
"They fired you. You're fired," Morgan remembers her dad telling her.
"I truly believe David Trainer decided the minute the phone call was made that he was going to get rid of that kid come hell or high water. And what a hell of a thing to do to somebody," Morgan said.
Per Entertainment Weekly, Morgan never shared her story prior to her appearance on "Pod Meets World."
As for why Morgan remained silent, she said it was out of respect for Fishel.
"You were on that show for a long time. You are an icon of that day, and who am I to take anything away from you?" Morgan said.