Maitland Ward doesn’t mince words when talking about her past.
The actress, best known for Boy Meets World, The Bold and the Beautiful, and White Chicks, will appear in the second season of Investigation Discovery’s Hollywood Demons. Season two premiered on Monday, April 20th, on ID and streams on Max.
This season will explore the psychological and cultural consequences of being famous as a child actor. Among others, the five-part season features segments involving Matthew Perry, The Jerry Springer Show, Saved by the Bell, and 16 and Pregnant.
Ward’s segment, titled “Child Stars Gone Wild,” airs Monday, April 27th. Alongside fellow former child actors Dan Benson (Wizards of Waverly Place) and Scott Schwartz (The Toy and A Christmas Story), she will discuss what happens to these young celebrities after they leave the spotlight and where their lives take them.
Ward’s next step was adult film, and she insists it wasn’t quite as bad as one would expect.
“I was told by both mainstream and p*rn friends in the beginning that I shouldn’t do interviews or call attention to myself because I would get backlash and hate,” Ward said. “But I felt so positive about what I was doing, and I was proud of that first film. And then when the news hit, everyone was shocked that I wasn’t met with hate and criticism, but much more with curiosity and this sort of excitement.”
She said the controversy serves its purpose.
“If a shock headline gets people to read about what I’m doing and what I am achieving, then I’m okay with that,” she said. “I’m proud that I can be a bridge between mainstream Hollywood and the adult space and make a positive impact on sex work and freedom of expression, especially when it comes to women.”
When discussing Hollywood, Ward is blunt about the industry’s treatment of the stars it has produced. “Hollywood has long tried to keep its young stars in a place where they’re either a virgin or a whore,” she said. “These labels keep us stuck and under the thumb of the Hollywood regime. I think it’s changing, but there’s still a long way to go.”
While joining the cast of The Bold and the Beautiful at age 16, Ward was already exposed to the effects of a career in Hollywood before Boy Meets World.
“I immediately had a sexual on-screen relationship with a 25-year-old who did not behave appropriately behind the scenes,” she said. “It was good for me to examine those early years and how this person’s mind games and him being narcissistically manipulative with me put a dark cloud on my career at the start. He was one of those people who tried to tell me what I should look like, how I should dress, and act. And for a long time I couldn’t see that that had been wrong.”
According to Ward, those years in the ’90s in studio TV shows made the situation even worse.
“When you’re very young in the industry, it has sort of a Pavlov’s dog effect on you,” she said. “Especially back in a time where studios really controlled everything and young women were told how to act, how to dress, what to eat, what to say. I wasn’t in touch with who I really was for many years.”
This all changed when she left Hollywood for good and relocated to New York.
“It gave me time and space to find myself, and that was a gift,” she said. “That’s when I really found my calling sexually, especially in a performance way, though it would take some years to work up to doing a full film.”
Ward admits that Hollywood Demons’ concept of “demons” is pretty spot-on, but her story is different from those of others who featured in the show.
“The demons I dealt with are very much different than some others in the series, but we were all part of this manipulative and oppressive world that connects us all,” Ward said. “I hope people will see that mine, although unconventional, is a story of breaking free and of hope.”
Given that Matthew Perry, whose episode is focused on celebrity overdoses and seeking help, is on the show, she knows it is somewhat shocking for viewers to see her name there.
“I think my story is definitely a shocker, as anything with p*rn is,” Ward said. “But there’s this assumption that to do porn has to be out of desperation or derangement. I know personally it is a story of empowerment.”
Regarding the series as a whole, she finds it refreshing to discuss her journey publicly.
“I’m grateful to be part of a series that’s willing to look beyond the surface,” Ward said. “My life and career have been shaped by choices I made for myself, and I’ve never been afraid to stand by them. If my story can add something thoughtful to the conversation about growing up in public and finding your own way, I’m honored to add my voice to it.”
Hollywood Demons Season 2 continues Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Investigation Discovery and streams on Max. Upcoming episodes include “After the Bell” (May 4), “Dr. Feel Goods” (May 11), and “Surviving 16 and Pregnant” (May 18). The season also features expert commentary from Dr. Drew Pinsky and Emmy-nominated journalist Simone Boyce.
