Former "Boy Meets World" star Trina McGee is revealing more behind-the-scene details about the sitcom, including an instance where a showrunner requested she "turn down" her "Black meter."
McGee, who starred as Angela Moore during the final three seasons of "Boy Meets World," detailed some of her experiences on the show during a recent episode of the rewatch podcast, “Pod Meets World,” hosted by fellow former co-stars Rider Strong, Danielle Fishel, and Will Friedle.
Before joining the "Boy Meets World" cast as Shawn Hunter’s (Strong's) girlfriend, McGee acted in multiple Black sitcoms, including “A Different World,” “Martin” and “Family Matters,” she explained.
“Coming from Black sitcoms, I always had to have like a Black meter… My Black meter was probably down to a 2. I remember when I was doing ‘Angela’s Ashes’ episode, somehow my Black meter had slipped up and I was at about a 9. Michael [Jacobs] came over to me and his note was, ‘Hey Trina, just turn down the Telma Hopkins about eight notches,’” McGee said, noting that the showrunner was referencing the Black “Family Matters” actor.
“I knew exactly what he was talking about and I did. … There are so many things you guys are so lucky you didn’t have to think about,” she added.
On her former castmates' podcast, McGee also shed light on why she believed she wasn't included in the series finale.
"I was told, in kind of a weird, off-handed way by a very important person, that you guys all went to [showrunner] Michael Jacobs, and you said, ‘We don’t want her in the last episode. She’s somehow taking our light.’ [That] was the gist of it,” McGee said.
“I was told that after I shot what was the show before the last episode, which was called ‘Angela’s Ashes’ when I left. When Michael announced to me, we’re going to do another show on Angela, I was so happy, not knowing this was going to be the show before the last show,” she continued.
Co-hosts Strong, Fishel and Friedle said they felt terrible that McGee was told that over 20 years ago.
“I remember after we taped the show, I had said to a person, ‘Why aren’t we on the last show?’ Because I know the last show was going to be the one with the ratings and the crying and all the stuff. I was under the impression that y’all got together and did not want me in the last show, for some reason I was going to take some shine or something to that effect,” she added.
“That was really hurtful to me for a long time. To make it worse, people of color tend to look into things a little harder sometimes. So I had cousins calling me, saying, ‘How come you weren’t in the last episode? They just gave you that whole show so that you’d be distracted and wouldn’t be in the show with the real ratings?’ Several of my cousins, my family members were telling me this… I have honestly had that in my head for 20 years,” McGee said.
Friedle expressed anger toward the events McGee recalled.
“Can we say for the record, Trina, that never happened,” Friedle responded. “That’s not competitiveness, that’s sociopathy. This pisses me off. This is next level.”
McGee replied, “I believe you. I can tell by your reactions. I have had that in my head for so long, and I’ve never watched that show. I’ve always felt like, ugh… That hurt me a long time.”
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