Costume supervisor Julie Yang Silver opened up about the “heated discussions” surrounding the sitcom star’s weight in season 7.

Why Boy Meets World star Danielle Fishel wasn’t allowed to go sleeveless for Topanga’s wedding dress

Costume supervisor Julie Yang Silver opened up about the "heated discussions" surrounding the sitcom star's weight in season 7.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

EW's editorial guidelines

March 3, 2026 1:57 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Danielle Fishel and Ben Savage on 'Boy Meets World'. Credit:

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

*Boy Meets World* costumer Julie Yang Silver is shedding some light on the frustrating behind-the-scenes conversations that revolved around star Danielle Fishel's weight.

Yang Silver, who joined the show's costume department in season 3 and stayed on for the remainder of the show, recently made her debut on *Pod Meets World*, the rewatch podcast hosted by stars Fishel, Will Friedle, and Rider Strong. Though Fishel was absent for the podcast's March 2 episode, her name was repeatedly invoked as Yang Silver recounted the "heated discussions" about her wardrobe that took place during the show's final season.

Friedle, who played Eric Matthews across the sitcom's seven seasons, at one point said, "I put on a bunch of weight towards the end [of the show]. Danielle put on a little bit of weight towards the end, but of course it was all about how *she* put on 'so much' weight."

The actor then recounted a story from Fishel, who told him that she was allowed to help pick out Topanga's wedding dress for her season 7 marriage to Ben Savage's Cory Matthews, with one caveat: "None of them were allowed to be sleeveless.”

Danielle Fishel and Ben Savage on 'Boy Meets World'. ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images

Friedle explained. "She thinks that one of the reasons was because certain powers-that-be thought that she looked too heavy to show her arms bare."

"Yes," Yang Silver confirmed. "It was a constant conversation."

The costume designer noted that she and producer Karen MacKain were vocal advocates for Fishel against the show's bosses, adding, "And the thing was, Danielle was not heavy. That’s what I was trying to explain to them. I was like, 'she’s still a size 2, I don’t know what you guys are talking about.'"

She argued that Fishel, who was 19 when the final season aired, had just "bloomed outwards," explaining, "Danielle wasn’t very tall, so if you are bustier and you’re not very tall, you’re going to look larger. But she wasn’t. You guys saw her every single day. She was not large at all."

Rider Strong was 'miserable' filming 'Boy Meets World' alcoholic episode

Danielle Fishel shocks Candace Cameron Bure with 'Boy Meets World' weight gain storyline

Yang Silver later noted that the issue of sleeves previously arose when preparing wardrobe for the season 5 episode that sees the high school aged cast attend prom.

"Trina [McGee] was seven months pregnant and we were trying to hide that. And it was the same thing for Danielle, where [they said] she needed sleeves," she recalled. "I was like, 'No, that’s going to look ridiculous for prom.'"

Yang Silver said they ultimately compromised by putting a shawl over Topanga's dress. She added that throughout the years, a top priority for her and MacKain was that no one bring the weight concerns directly to Fishel.

"Karen and I [were] just like, We don’t want to hear anyone ever say anything to Danielle about this,'" Yang Silver said.

But when Friedle asked whether Fishel ever became aware of such discussions, the costumer admitted that it's likely the actress did figure it out.

Danielle Fishel in December 2025.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty

"I think she knew," said Yang Silver. "But we really tried to hide that from her… Because she’s a teenager. That’s going to get in her head. That’s what Karen and I were both saying: She is a young woman, and that can do so much psychological damage, and it’s so not worth it. We were treading very, very lightly."

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

Indeed, Fishel previously discussed struggling with the show's perception of her weight on an August 2024 episode of the podcast, where she recounted her shock upon learning that her and Friedle's weight gain had inspired a season 7 storyline.

"Will had gained some weight. I had gained some weight. [And the writers said], 'Obviously, you guys have gained a little bit of weight, so we’re gonna write an episode about it. And we just wanted you to know. And here’s what it’s gonna be. It’s gonna be really funny,'" Fishel recounted, per PEOPLE, noting that they were informed of the storyline rather than being asked their feelings about it.

She added, "I remember thinking, 'Wow, these people think I've gained enough weight [that] we have to write an entire episode about my weight gain... And I have to say I'm fine with it, because they didn't even present to me another alternative.'"

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Sitcom”