Boy Meets World Legend William Daniels, 99, and Wife Reveal Why They Once Had an Open Marriage

Bonnie Bartlett wants to set the record straight about all that 'open marriage' talk with William Daniels. Three years after her comments lit up headlines, the longtime couple sat down together and clarified what actually went on back then — and what didn't.

So, what did she really mean?

In a joint Daily Mail interview published Monday, May 18, Bartlett, 96, said people turned her earlier remarks into something bigger than it was. Translation: there was no sit-down summit to draft rules, no official label, no grand plan. Over a 75-year relationship, they occasionally felt attracted to other people — which she framed as human, not scandalous. She and Daniels didn't hash it out; they just lived their lives, sometimes apart for long stretches because of work. And while their paths veered now and then, they didn't come unglued.

The early-years messiness (and why it hurt)

Back in January 2023, Bartlett told Fox News Digital that, not long after they married in 1951, they had "a bit of an open marriage" — and that it was painful for both of them. It was the let-loose New York era, lots of freedom, lots of people experimenting, and (as she put it) maybe a dip in commitment. None of it sat well. Every extramarital slip came with fallout.

She got more specific in her 2023 memoir, Middle of the Rainbow: she had a months-long affair with an actor she even found a little boring; Daniels had an affair with a producer in New York. Eventually, they grew up, regrouped, and stayed married.

Quick timeline

• 1951: Bonnie Bartlett (Little House on the Prairie) and William Daniels (future Boy Meets World icon) get married.
• Early years: Both have brief affairs; it's painful and not for them.
• 1961: Their first child, William Jr., is born and tragically dies 24 hours later.
• Later: They adopt two sons — Michael, now 62, and Robert, now 60.
• 2023: Bartlett tells Fox News Digital they had "a bit of an open marriage" early on; her memoir adds details.
• 2024: She tells People that, after profound grief, adopting their boys became the best thing that ever happened to their family.
• May 18 (Daily Mail interview): At 96 and 99, they clarify the "open marriage" chatter and explain it was never some formal arrangement.
• June (coming up): Their 75th wedding anniversary.

Where they are now

Daniels, 99, sounded very clear about who he wants next to him at this point:

"I wouldn't be with anyone else in my life than this woman sitting next to me."

Bartlett, ever practical, said there was no master plan here. She doesn't see herself as romantic — she focuses on today — and then one day you look up and it's 75 years. Even she admits that's kind of amazing, especially in their line of work.

A hard loss that reshaped their family

Ten years into marriage, they lost their newborn son — a devastation that eventually led them to adopt Michael and Robert. Speaking to People in 2024, Bartlett said that, out of that grief, those two boys became the best thing to happen to their marriage. She can't imagine life without them.

Bottom line: the "open marriage" label never really fit. It was less a policy and more a messy, early chapter that hurt — and then got left behind as they figured out how to make a 75-year partnership actually work.