For lovers of American television series and movies, the name Maitland Ward may not ring a bell. But whenever Boy Meets World is mentioned, many TV buffs may suddenly remember “Rachel McGuire”. As the film name suggests, boys began to queue to date “McGuire” in the sixth and seventh seasons of the sitcom.
In recent years, however, Ward has deviated from Hollywood, finding solace and getting a lot more bucks in a different form of entertainment and has gotten more popular. So, who is Maitland Ward, who has criticised and censured the Hollywood establishment and courted controversy by switching to adult movies?
Biography
Ashley Maitland Welkos, who goes by the stage name Maitland Ward, was born on 3 February 1977 in Long Beach, California, United States of America. Ward spent the majority of her childhood in California.
Ward attended California State University, Long Beach. She also enrolled and graduated from New York University.
Career
Maitland Ward began acting in 1994 and landed her first big role at just 16 while still a junior in high school when she starred in the soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful. She played the role of “Jessica Forrester”, a teenager who was married in a web of intricate relationships, including her and her mother having affection for the same man at a point in time.
The actress subsequently got more acting gigs in the following years. Her popularity soared and gained media attention when she was featured in the American sitcom, Boy Meets World. Ward played the role of “Rachel McGuire”. Ward appeared in a couple of movies afterwards and retired from mainstream acting in 2007.
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In her memoir entitled: Rated X: How Porn Liberated Me from Hollywood, Ward wrote that she quit acting because of the perceived stereotype associated with Hollywood, particularly with roles played by women, and her unpleasant experiences in the film industry. According to her, “I knew Hollywood wasn’t for me, but I kept wanting to hang on”, adding that “my self-esteem was down.”
She then featured in cosplay acts and made appearances at various comic conventions. Her first cosplay was a slave Princess Leia outfit, an idea reportedly suggested by photographers with whom she had previously worked on the red carpet. She also performed as an actress for the comic interpretation of Logan’s Run and Red Sonja, respectively.
Filmography
Maitland Ward featured in several films and TV series in the US and was fairly popular before her retirement. Below is a list of some of the movies she has featured in.
TV series
| TV SERIES | YEAR |
| The Bold And The Beautiful | 1994-1996 |
| USA High | 1998 |
| Home Improvement | 1998 |
| Boy Meets World | 1998-2000 |
| Boston Public | 2002 |
| Out of Practice | 2005 |
| Rules of Engagement | 2007 |
Movies
| MOVIE TITLE | YEAR |
| Killing Mr Griffin | 1997 |
| A Bold Affair | 1999 |
| Dish Dogs | 2000 |
| White Chicks | 2004 |
Maitland Ward and Boy Meets World
As earlier mentioned, Maitland Ward played the role of “Rachel McGuire” in Boy Meets World. Rachel McGuire is a tall, beautiful lady born and raised in Texas. She enrols at Pennbrook University and becomes the centre of attention and, sometimes, fights between two boys. Two boys allow her to stay in their accommodation after she breaks up with her ex-boyfriend and leaves his home in Philadelphia.
Willing to help her and enamoured by her beauty, Jack and Eric accommodate Rachel McGuire in their home. However, she soon becomes entangled in a love triangle as the boys begin to compete for the right to date her. Rachel began dating Jack during his emotional breakdown following his father’s death, but when Eric informed her of their initial competition, she halts the relationship with Jack.
Fearing that their friendship may be in jeopardy if they continue to chase Rachel, Jack and Eric decide to stop chasing her. Meanwhile, Rachel decided to expand her circle, becoming friends with Topanga and Angela. Her new friends became her roommates, displacing Jack and Eric from the room. Rachel later moves into a dorm when she became a Resident Advisor at the university, with Topanga and Angela joining her in her new apartment as roommates.
Upon graduation from the university, Rachel and Jack join the Peace Corps, but she loses contact with Jack after he left the organisation. She is one of the bridesmaids at Cory and Topanga’s wedding.
Rachel was one of the sitcom’s main characters in seasons six and seven, appearing in 45 episodes during a two-year stint.
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Controversy
In 2013, six years after she retired from mainstream acting, Maitland Ward stirred controversy when she began posting nude and topless photographs of herself on Snapchat and Instagram, respectively. Despite the cause célèbre, the photos helped her gain many followers on social media.
She began to post her nude pictures for commercial purposes in 2016 when she posted her being body-painted stark naked for Luciano Paesani for a Los Angeles exhibition called “Living Art”. The ex-actress then announced on Instagram in 2019 that she will feature in a pornographic film entitled: Drive. It was the first time that she starred in an adult movie which was considered a “drastic career shift”, according to In Touch Weekly, an American celebrity gossip magazine.
Ward solidified her status in the adult film industry when she signed a contract with an adult talent agency, Society 15. Speaking to In Touch Weekly, she stated that she was fascinated to be involved in porn movies following a proposal by Kayden Kross, an American pornographic actress, and director, saying she was “just floored”.
She has subsequently appeared in multiple additional porn scenes in adult movies. Below is a list of some of the pornographic movies she has featured in.
| MOVIE TITLE | YEAR |
| Wet and Wild | 2019 |
| Drive | 2019 |
| When Superstars Collide | 2019 |
| Raw 38 | 2019 |
| Lesbian Superstars | 2019 |
| We All Do It, Too | 2019 |
| Unprofessional | 2019 |
| VR Bangers | 2019 |
| Poolside Affairs | 2020 |
| Muse Season 1 | 2020 |
| Muse Season 2 | 2021 |
| Mistress Maitland | 2021 |
| Mistress Maitland | 2021 |
| Stars | 2021 |
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Net worth
Maitland Ward is, by media reports, estimated to be worth $2 million. Her main source of income is her appearances in porn movies, which she has monetised on OnlyFans, an internet content subscription service. She has racked up 1.23 million likes on the platform to date.
She also made some money while still a mainstream actress, especially from her appearance on Boy Meets World.
Family
Maitland Ward married Terry Baxter, a real estate agent, on 21 October 2006. Ward and Baxter got married after they met on a set when he was visiting someone else, and the two began a friendship that eventually developed into marriage.
After their wedding, the couple moved to New York. Ward credits her husband for being understanding with her pornographic profession, saying the duo “started (their relationship) with friendship, trust and laughter and built from that”.
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