Boy Meets World star William Daniels, 99, shares truth behind ‘open marriage’ with Bonnie Bartlett
Boy Meets World star William Daniels has spoken about the truth behind his so-called ‘open marriage’ with wife Bonnie Bartlett, after previous comments about their relationship sparked plenty of attention.
Daniels, 99, and Bartlett, 96, have been married since 1951, meaning they are now approaching their 75th wedding anniversary on 20 June.
The celebrity couple has long been seen as one of Hollywood’s most enduring love stories, with both having built successful acting careers across several decades.
Daniels is best known to many fans as Mr Feeny in hit TV sitcom Boy Meets World, while Bartlett has appeared in shows including St Elsewhere and Little House on the Prairie.
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The pair also played onscreen spouses in multiple projects, including Boy Meets World, where Mr Feeny and Bartlett’s character (Dean Bolander) ended up marrying.
Away from the screen, however, it is one part of their real-life marriage that has recently drawn renewed attention. Bartlett previously wrote in her 2023 memoir, Middle of the Rainbow, that the couple had an ‘open marriage’ during the early years of their relationship.
However, in a new joint interview with the Daily Mail, the pair have now clarified what that actually meant.
Speaking about the reaction to her earlier comments, Bartlett said: “It's funny, the press will pick up on something and make more of it than it was.”
She explained that there had never been a formal discussion between them about having that kind of arrangement.
Bartlett continued: “There was never any discussion as to what we were going to do, but in 75 years, the two of you together, you know, it would be abnormal if you… weren't attracted occasionally to other people.”
She added: “So there have been times, yeah, both of us, on both sides, yeah, and that is in the book.”
Still, Bartlett made clear that it was not something the couple sat down and planned with rules.
She said: “It was non-spoken. Bill and I never sit down and make rules. We never sit down and talk about these things. We just don't. We just live our lives. And if he's away for a year, he's away for a year.”
She added: “Our lives just went on, but we never got unhinged.... We never got unhinged, but our lives did go in different directions occasionally.”
Daniels, meanwhile, made it pretty clear where he stands now, telling the outlet: “I wouldn't be with anyone else in my life than this woman sitting next to me.”
Bartlett has previously spoken about the painful side of that chapter, writing in her memoir that Daniels’ relationship with a New York-based producer in the 1970s left her devastated.
According to E!,she wrote that she ‘could no longer tolerate any kind of open marriage’ after that.
The couple later continued working on their relationship and has now spent more than seven decades together. In her memoir, Bartlett reflected: “Bill and I have moved forward day-by-day and eventually, the days added up.”
She added: “We’ve been happy together and sad together, and somehow stayed together for seven decades.”
As for Daniels’ advice for a long marriage, he offered a rather blunt joke. Asked for his secret, he simply said: “Don't.”
Topics: Celebrity
Ben Williams