Former child actor Lee Norris, best known for his role as Stuart Minkus in the beloved TGIF sitcom Boy Meets World, recently shared a touching story about how his 6-year-old son reminds him of his iconic character.
Appearing on the Pod Meets World rewatch podcast, hosted by Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle, Lee Norris joined in to discuss an early first-season episode prominently featuring his character. Before the recording, Lee Norris decided to rewatch the episode alongside his young son, marking the first time the child learned about his dad’s history on television.
“We live in North Carolina, and we haven’t really had this conversation yet of, ‘Oh, Dad was on TV.’ It just hasn’t come up,” the 43-year-old actor explained. “He’s getting to the age now, at 6, where I think he’s starting to realize when we go out, sometimes people ask for a picture with Dad. Maybe that’s not totally normal.”
To help his son understand, Lee Norris decided it was time to share a piece of his past. “So he actually sat down and watched the episode with me,” Norris shared, calling the experience “surreal and cool.”
During the discussion, Lee Norris recalled a moment when he realized his son shared some uncanny similarities with the brainy and overachieving Minkus. “My wife and I were getting ready for bedtime or something, and he was looking at his books — we always do storytime at night — and I just heard him, out of the corner of my ear, say, ‘According to my calculations…’ And I just froze,” he said, laughing.
Though Lee Norris admitted he wasn’t sure if Minkus ever delivered that exact line on Boy Meets World, it felt like a quintessential Minkus moment. “His little voice sounds a lot like mine,” he added, marveling at the similarities.
Lee Norris also shared how his son reacted to watching the show for the first time. “Something would happen that he didn’t understand, and he’d go, ‘Huh?’” Lee Norris recounted, adding that moments like those left him and his wife laughing. His son also offered some insightful commentary, often saying, “Oh, Dada, that’s not kind,” in response to scenes of conflict or humor on the show.
In true Minkus fashion, Lee Norris encouraged his son’s kindness while also reminding him that some moments are meant to be funny.
Lee Norris originally played Stuart Minkus during the first season of Boy Meets World before making a cameo in Season 5. He later reprised the role for the Disney Channel reboot Girl Meets World. Though years have passed since his days as Minkus, Lee Norris seems to have found joy in reliving the memories, especially with a mini-Minkus of his own by his side.
