William Daniels, 99, and his wife Bonnie Bartlett—celebrating nearly 75 years of marriage—recalled how they tried an “open” marriage for a short time before closing it again after betrayals left Bonnie devastated.
When William Daniels turns 99, his life isn’t the kind that fits neatly into a headline. It’s slower than that—measured in decades, in laugh-filled mornings, in a marriage Bonnie Bartlett has described as something you have to constantly adjust.
This month, the Boy Meets World star is set to celebrate 75 years of marriage with his wife. June 30 will mark the milestone for Daniels and Bartlett, whose relationship began in June 1951. The couple’s secret to lasting this long isn’t just romance—it’s honesty about how they once tried to change the rules entirely.
Daniels and Bartlett admitted they experimented with an “open” marriage a few years after they married. Bartlett had previously confessed to having an affair with a “slightly boring” actor around 1959 that “lasted a few months.” Daniels also acknowledged being involved with a producer in the ’70s—an experience that left Bartlett “devastated.” After that. she said she realized she “could no longer tolerate any kind of open marriage.” The couple closed their marriage back up.
Speaking on Thursday, both of them framed their long partnership as a game of ongoing adaptation—opening and closing when they tried it, and then shifting again when it didn’t work. Daniels and Bartlett told the story with a mix of candor and steadiness that’s hard to fake.
Daniels—who acknowledged they’ve been together “actually 78 years” because they met in college—traced their beginning to Northwestern University. “Life is all adjustment. You’re constantly adjusting. ” Bartlett’s then been together so long—Daniels added—“it suddenly got hot here [in Los Angeles]. and it got hard to breathe and to move around. You have to kind of adjust to the heat.” It was her way of putting the whole marriage into plain language: adjusting to what life demands. and doing it together.
Bartlett described herself as more “introspective. ” but she said a marriage needs some “wiggle room.” When asked for relationship advice. Daniels answered bluntly: “Don’t. ” as in. “don’t” do it—before joking that he was only kidding. Bartlett brushed it off with affection. saying Daniels is “being funny” and trying to make everyone “laugh. ” and she credits that humor for keeping their bond alive.
Laughter, she said, happens constantly. “William makes me laugh ‘all the time. every day. ’” Bartlett shared—then she shifted to the family that helped anchor everything: “We’re so lucky we have two wonderful. wonderful sons.” One of them. Michael. lives near them and “helps us a lot.” She added that he has a family. and they get to see “him and his wife. and we see all the kids. ” calling it “wonderful.”.
Between the brief “open” chapter and the decision to shut it down, the couple’s message comes through in the same way their marriage has endured—through hard moments, honest admissions, and the ability to keep adjusting without breaking.
As June 30 approaches, Daniels and Bartlett are celebrating not just longevity, but the lessons they learned the hard way—and the laughter that kept them moving forward.
William Daniels Bonnie Bartlett Boy Meets World George Feeny marriage open marriage Northwestern University June 30 Little House on the Prairie
So wait they were married for 75 years but also had an “open” thing? Wild.
Idk I feel like people just say “open marriage” like it’s a trend, then it ends in betrayal. If you need rules changed that much, maybe don’t get married in the first place.
This is honestly kinda weird timing because Boy Meets World is like, wholesome?? Also I thought William Daniels was older than 99 lol. But anyway, the part about the “slightly boring” actor… like what does that even mean.
“Opening and closing” their marriage like it’s a door you can just shut again… I mean I guess they made it work in the end, but betrayals still sound like betrayals. Also Bonnie being devastated makes me side-eye the whole thing. I don’t get how anyone could be like “yeah let’s try open” and then act surprised when feelings get hurt.