Maitland Ward claims her shift to adult films has brought her more respect than her Disney acting days ever did.
Speaking to Fox, the former Boy Meets World star (who played Rachel McQuire in the ’90s hit) says entertainment industry professionals now treat her better, and she’s currently discussing turning her memoir into a TV series.
“I really think people treat me with more respect now, honestly, especially even in Hollywood right now,” said Ward. “I’m pitching my memoir into a TV format and talking with people. … And I really feel like I have a lot of positivity around it. I’m able to create my own brand, my own content, the way I want to create it.”
She continued, “I didn’t get anybody coming out hating me for [adult film work] or anything. I really got a lot of positivity overall, which shocked everyone I knew. Everybody thought people were just going to rip me apart, and I was going to be judged and raked across the coals, but I got so much positivity. I think it’s because I was so positive about it, and I was so happy about it.”
Ward started in The Bold and the Beautiful (1994-1996) before joining Boy Meets World (1998-2000). She entered adult entertainment in 2019 and published her memoir Rated X in 2022, where she wrote that porn transformed her life.
“I had new confidence and a full-time job, and it wasn’t because I smiled for any higher-ups,” she wrote. “The validation that I was given, especially after being told that no one would ever pay a dime to see me sexy, was soul-changing.”
