Adam Scott and Rider Strong Finally Put 30-Year Boy Meets World Snub to Rest
Hi, I’m Riley Carter. Okay, so like… why did a single high-five from 1995 keep Adam Scott up at night for three decades?
Adam Scott, best known for playing the lovable bully Griff Hawkins in Boy Meets World, has revealed the quirky origin of his long carried tension with Rider Strong. In 2023, Scott hopped on Strong’s Pod Meets World podcast to bring up the awkward incident from the Season 2 finale that he says haunted him ever since production wrapped in 1995. It involved a botched post-scene high-five, a failed hug, and a suspicious look that felt like a full rejection.
During the July 24 episode of Entertainment Weekly’s The Awardist podcast, Scott revisited the moment in hindsight and offered some much needed perspective. When host Jon Hamm asked if hashing out the awkward exchange on Strong’s show had brought closure, Scott quipped that they still needed to work it out—only to admit moments later that closure was indeed achieved. “Rider Strong didn’t even remember it,” Scott explained, noting that real relief set in once he realized the incident was not traumatic for Strong.
On the Pod Meets World appearance, Scott walked Strong through the scenario step by step. He described finishing the scene and joining the cast celebration when he turned to Strong with a congratulatory, “Hey, buddy,” and leaned in for a hug. Instead of reciprocating, Strong apparently pushed him away and shot a look that said, “Wait a second. Who are you?” That look stuck with Scott for nearly 30 years until Strong’s blank reaction on the podcast made him breathe a sigh of relief.
Beyond the high-five hiccup, Scott opened up about what went on in his head back then. In his chat with The Awardist, he admitted that he spent two full decades wrestling with on-set jitters. While industry insiders and so called nepo babies often grow up comfortable around show business, Scott came into it wide-eyed and excited. The thrill of working on TV and film sets left him perpetually anxious, he said, until he gradually learned to relax into the process.
Today Scott seems far more at ease. He currently stars as Mark Scout in Apple TV+’s Severance, a role that landed him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at the 2025 Emmy Awards. His honest reflections on both past awkwardness and professional growth have won him fresh admiration from fans and peers alike.
All told, the episode offers a rare peek at how even Hollywood pros carry around weird little anxieties—and how laughter, a podcast mic, and a missing memory can finally sweep them away. So yeah, that’s the gist. Catch you next time.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and Entertainment Weekly, Pod Meets World, The Awardist podcast
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
