Danielle Fishel made her debut in the entertainment industry with voice-overs and commercials after being discovered acting in a community theater at the age of 10. Her breakthrough came with her role as Topanga in the ’90s series, ‘Boy Meets World.’ During and after that show, a lot of things happened in the actress’s personal and professional life.
6. She Wasn’t Meant To Stay In ‘Boy Meets World’
Fishel was 12 when she began playing Topanga Lawrence-Matthews on ‘Boy Meets World’ in 1993. Topanga was actually written as a minor character, which turned into a recurring role, but after the first season, she became a mainstay on the show. The actress gained recognition through this role, especially with a 1998 Young Star award.
5. She Was Chosen One Of The Hottest
Fishel appeared on magazine covers like Seventeen during her run in the series. GQ put her on the cover of Hottest Stars To Watch in a 1997 issue, while Teen People named her one of ‘The 21 Hottest Stars Under 21’ in 1999.
4. TV Projects After The Series
After the series ended, Fishel continued to mainly work in television, hosting ‘Say What? Karaoke’ on MTV for a season and appearing in a few episodes of ‘Yes, Dear’ and ‘The Soup.’ She voiced characters in several aminations like ‘Gravity Falls’ and ‘Star vs The Forces Of Evil’ and directed a few TV projects, including ‘The Villains Of Valley View,’ ‘Lopez vs Lopez,’ and ‘Pretty Freekin Scary.’
3. She Appeared In Music Videos
The actress first appeared in The Moffatts’ music video for ‘Until You Loved Me’ in the late ’90s and took part in other musical projects in the next few years. N*SYNC and Christina Aguilera had her as a performer in the clips of ‘Bye Bye Bye’ and ‘Genie In A Bottle’ respectively.
2. Return To The ‘Boy Meets World’ Side Projects
In 2014, Fishel returned to her role as Topanga in the spin-off series, ‘Girl Meets World.’ The series that premiered on Disney Channel focused on Topanga and Cory’s 12-year-old daughter, Riley, and lasted until 2017. Besides acting, Fishel directed four episodes, wrote one for the series, and hosted a ‘Boy Meets World’ podcast in 2022.
1. Her Personal Life
A few years after the ‘Boy Meets World’ finale, Fishel attended California State University, Fullerton, and graduated in 2013. Around the same time, she married a student of hers, Tim Belusko, but the couple got divorced in 2016. Two years later, the actress got engaged and married former rapper Jensen Karp, and the couple welcomed two sons in 2019 and 2021.
