‘Boy Meets World’ Star Maitland Ward Says Working In Porn Has Earned Her ‘More Respect’

The actor, who retired from Hollywood in 2007, has exclusively appeared in adult films for the past six years.

Maitland Ward has no regrets about her decision to walk away from mainstream film and television.

Best known for her portrayal of Rachel McGuire on ABC’s “Boy Meets World,” Ward retired from the industry in 2007. For the past six years, she’s appeared exclusively in adult films.

In a Fox News Digital interview published Saturday, Ward said her transition into porn has given her a sense of “empowerment” that she lacked in her youth ― and even her former industry has taken notice.

“I really think people treat me with more respect now, honestly, especially even in Hollywood right now,” she explained. “I’m pitching my memoir into a TV format and talking with people. They’re so respectful, and they’re so positive about my story, especially younger people and different people that I speak to in Hollywood and stuff. They’re just much more receptive to the story.”

Ward acknowledged she feared being shunned by friends and former colleagues when she initially decided to pursue porn. Instead, she found herself receiving “so much positivity” as well as creative freedom she hadn’t previously enjoyed.