Danielle Fishel didn’t want Sabrina Carpenter taking any nonsense.
After starring in “Girl Meets World” together from 2014 to 2017, the actress, 44, knew the singer, 26, was destined for stardom.
“I just kept always trying to tell her that she should listen to her instincts,” Fishel exclusively told The Post after TikTok Night at “Dancing with the Stars” on Tuesday. “And she’s really good at that. She is so whip smart and I admire [her]. I mean, truly. She’s significantly younger than me, but I really look up to her in one very specific way, which is she will never let somebody tell her that they know better than she is.”
“She’s never allowed anyone to make her feel like a little girl,” she continued. “She is a strong woman who knows her worth, and I admire her for it so much.”
As for what it’s been like to see Carpenter step into her pop star era, Fishel calls it “incredible.”
“I mean, I remember from the moment I met her, I just saw in her what now, everyone gets to see in her,” she gushed. “And I didn’t know exactly when it was going to happen, but I definitely knew it would happen. That everyone would get to love and appreciate her the way that I have her over a decade.”
Carpenter kicked off her career on Disney Channel before skyrocketing to musical success in 2022 with her album “Emails I Can’t Send.”
In 2024, Carpenter’s singles “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” topped the charts, with the album “Short n’ Sweet” debuting at No. 1.
The artist took home the Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance for “Espresso” at the 2025 award ceremony along with the trophy for Best Pop Vocal Album for “Short n’ Sweet.”
During week three of “DWTS”, Fishel and her partner, Pasha Pashkov, chose to Foxtrot to Carpenter’s hit, “Manchild,” off of her seventh studio album.
“We landed on the song specifically because we were looking at dance styles and ‘Manchild’ is one of my favorites, obviously. It’s the first single from her new album, ‘Man’s Best Friend,’ which I’m completely obsessed with,” explained Fishel. “And so, it was the first suggestion I had, and right away he was like, ‘This is a perfect Foxtrot.’ And it was like, great, then let’s not even think about anything else. Let’s just roll with that creativity he had. And it was a seamless process the whole week.”
“Girl Meets World,” meanwhile, ran for three seasons on Disney and was a spin-off of Fishel’s breakout show, “Boy Meets World,” which aired for seven seasons from 1993 to 2000.
The original series also starred Ben Savage, Rider Strong, Will Friedle, Betsy Randle, William Russ and William Daniels.
And of course, the podcast host was sure to take some prized memorabilia with her from set.
“I have a ‘Boy Meets World’ mug,” Fishel revealed. “I have a robe. I have from ‘Girl Meets World,’ I have the sign when Topanga bought the bakery. I have the Topanga sign.
The mom-of-two even sported her original “Boy Meets World” jacket from 1993 to dance rehearsals this past week. Although if she could go back in time, the Hollywood alum does have one gripe about the outdoor wear.
“Probably too old at 12 to have my mom writing my name in my jacket,” Fishel teased, “but, you know, it’s okay!”
While the star has staunchly supported Carpenter throughout her career, Fishel has quite a few people in her corner as she ventures into the next week of the competition series.
“Every single person in my life has just picked up all the slack,” she told The Post during week two. “I normally am a pretty active person who runs the household and the kids. When I decided I was going to do this, my husband said, ‘I want you to clear your mind. I promise I have the house, I have the kids, they’re going to be great, and you just focus on you.’”
Following Week 1, the ABC vet suffered a hamstring tear, and her husband, Jensen Karp, immediately jumped to her rescue.
Fishel stated, “When I got injured, he was the first person saying, ‘I’m going to call a PT. I’m going to call this.’ He started making doctor’s appointments for me. I literally couldn’t do any of this without his support.”
Another role her husband has taken on is social media coordinator.
“He’s amazing. And even on top of all of that, he’s also part of our social media group chat where he gives us ideas,” Pashkov, 39, admitted.
“TikToks,” Fishel added. “He’s sending us some TikToks and says, ‘You guys should do this.’ It’s really great.”
Along with her husband of seven years, their two boys, Adler, 6, and Keaton, 4, are also loving their mom’s latest beat.
“The next day, Adler went to school and said to his teacher, ‘My mom did the most beautiful dance last night, and she’s going to win because they’re the best,’” recalled Fishel. “And then when Jensen picked Adler up from school, his teacher said to him, ‘If my kids love me half as much as Adler loves the two of you, I’ll feel like I’ve won the lottery.’ They are so excited for me.”
