The Real Reason Lily Nicksay Left Boy Meets World
The "Boy Meets World" cast is one of the most iconic TV ensembles of the 1990s. Across its seven seasons, the series managed to hold onto a majority of its original actors as well, including Danielle Fishel, Ben Savage, Rider Strong, Will Friedle, and William Daniels. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for Lily Nicksay.
The young child star lit up the screen throughout the first two seasons of "Boy Meets World" with her performance as Cory and Eric Matthews' younger sister, Morgan. However, despite fitting in extremely well among the "Boy Meets World" cast, Nicksay ended up leaving the beloved coming-of-age series after its sophomore season. She was subsequently replaced by Lindsay Ridgeway, who made her debut as Morgan in "Boy Meets World" Season 3. Ridgeway went on to appear as the character throughout the remainder of the show's run.
While Ridgeway turned in a memorable performance as Morgan as well, Nicksay's exit has been a topic among "Boy Meets World" fans for decades. It was likely for that reason that several of the show's cast members took the opportunity earlier this year to clear up some of the confusion surrounding Nicksay's surprising departure from "Boy Meets World."
Lily Nicksay wasn't having fun on Boy Meets World
During an episode of their podcast, "Pod Meets World," Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle opened up about Lily Nicksay's "Boy Meets World" departure with actor William Russ, who played Alan Matthews on the TV series. When discussing why Nicksay ultimately ended up leaving the series, Russ said, "I think there was some issues that had to do with growing up. I'm not sure she was very happy at the time and ['Boy Meets World' creator] Michael Jacobs, to his credit, could see that and he decided what was best personally for her was to let her try something else."
In the same podcast episode, Fishel was quick to note that Nicksay was "so naturally funny and just cute as a button," but said, "You really have to want [to be a child actor]. It's a lot on your shoulders and she was 6 years old. I think eventually she just got to a point where she was like, 'This isn't as fun as you guys all think it is.'" Friedle, meanwhile, noted, "She just didn't want to be there."
For her part, Nicksay told Entertainment Weekly in 2013 that her parents and the "Boy Meets World" producers made the "mutual decision" to have her to step away from the role of Morgan Matthews. Fortunately, while Nicksay's time on "Boy Meets World" didn't last long, it's clear that she still managed to make a lasting impression on the show's fans. The same can impressively be said for many of the series' young cast members, all of whom were perfectly cast as their characters. In fact, one of the show's stars, Lee Norris, didn't even have to audition for his role as Minkus.
If that's not proof of just how well-cast "Boy Meets World" was, then nothing is.