Maitland Ward was just 21 years old when she was cast on the beloved ABC sitcom Boy Meets World.
But while the role might have earned her instant fame, it seems that it didn’t bring the career security or financial freedom that Ward was seeking.
For that, she needed to turn to the world of adult film.
Yes, Ward has abandoned mainstream Hollywood for the world of online adult content creation — and she says she has no regrets.
Ward is the subject of this week’s episode of Hollywood Demons: Child Stars Gone Wild. And in her episode, she reveals that she was making “$20,000 or $25,000” for her work as Rachel McGuire on Boy Meets World.
Not a bad paycheck — especially 25 years ago.
But it pales in comparison to her OnlyFans earnings, which usually exceed “six figures a month.”
“My story is multifaceted,” she explains on the episode (per Us Weekly). “It’s really a story of self-discovery and finding who you are as an authentic person in any way that you want to.”
“Back when I was getting into it … they looked at these young actors as like property coming in,” Ward added while discussing the industry’s “twisted male gaze.”
“Women were just put into this box where you had to be this young woman that was either a virgin and a slut all at once. And I hate to use those terms exactly, but that’s what it was,” she explained.
In a previous interview, Ward claimed that she was given “more respect” working in the porn industry than she received as a mainstream actress.
“I really got a lot of positivity overall, which shocked everyone I knew,” she said.
“Everybody thought people were just going to rip me apart, and I was going to be judged and raked across the coals.”
Ward recently made headlines by clashing with some of her former Boy Meets World co-stars, but for the most part, her life seems to be drama-free these days.
And she’s certainly not the first former child star to warn of the perils of Hollywood.
Ward’s episode of Hollywood Demons premieres tonight on HBO Max.