Boy Meets Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Shawn Hunter
Rs4
First appearance Pilot
Final appearance Brave New World
Information
Name Shawn Hunter
Role Cory's boyfriend,

Chet's son, Jack's half-brother, Angela's ex-boyfriend, Alumni at John Adams High & Pennbrook U.

Final Status Moved to New York
Portrayed by Rider Strong

"You're Cory, I'm Shawn, just like it's always been. What else do you need to know?"

- Shawn Hunter

Shawn Patrick Hunter is the life-long best friend of Cory Matthews.

Personality

Shawn is a bit of a huge trouble maker, it gives him a "bad boy" image and a bit of a popularity boost. He is a good friend to Cory and tries to be a good brother to Jack. Of all the characters, he seems to be the one put through the most loss (including his girlfriend, Angela, and his father, Chet, who left him, and died shortly after coming back)

History

Early Life

Shawn was born to Chet Hunter and a stripper, but the woman left shortly after Shawn's birth. so Chet met and fell in love with Virna and they married, giving Shawn a mother. Virna ran away several times during Shawn's childhood because she felt that she and Chet were bad parents, Chet always took off after her leaving Shawn behind to be cared for by other relatives, but Chet always managed to bring Verna back and the family would be back together again.

Season One

In the first season, Shawn is shown to be the best friend of Cory. The subject of his family is slightly touched upon, focusing mainly on the difficulty between his father and step-mother. Shawn mentions having a sister in an early episode.

Season Two

Entering high school (7th grade), Shawn gains a reputation around school for being a player, and becomes the most popular guy in the school. This affects his friendship with Cory, as Cory is quite jealous of all the attention Shawn is constantly being shown at school. However, we learn that is the exact opposite at home. Later in the season, Shawn's mother, Virna, abandons him and leaves him homeless. His father, Chet, takes off after her, leaving Shawn alone. Shawn moves in with the Matthews', but doesn't take well to following their rules, and runs away. This gets him in trouble with the law, as he was planning on vandalising the school. The cops drop him off with his teacher, Jonathan Turner, who lets him stay the night. Back at the Matthews', it's revealed that Chet will not be returning for a while. Alan and Amy tell Jonathan that they do not want Shawn living with them. Shawn overhears, and feeling unwanted by everyone, he decides to run away. Jonathan then offers for Shawn to come and live with him, and Shawn accepts.

Season Three

Shawn is adapting well to living with Mr. Turner, and having a constant authority figure in his life. But as time passes, he begins to feel like a guest in his home, and runs away to go to Europe for self discovery. Cory talks him out of it, and while Shawn agrees, he still feels lonely. To get rid of the feeling, he buys a pet pig to replace Cory (after he starts spending more time with Topanga) as his best friend. Topanga is outraged and demands that Shawn return the pig. He is hesitant, but in the end, Shawn realizes it's the right thing to do. Topanga confesses that she does care about him and would like to be his friend. Throughout the season, Shawn dates more and more girls, until a nice girl stands up to him and dumps him. Shawn is in shock, and Cory and Topanga tell him that he needs to stop fooling around with so many different girls, and commit. He attempts to, but fails. In the season ultimate, Chet returns, and asks Shawn to move back in with him. Shawn, thinking his home life is finally repaired, is overjoyed and agrees

Season Four

Shawn and Cory discover that Verna is back in town, and try to convince her to move back in. She tells them that she will, only if Chet changes his behavior, and he promises to do so. Shawn's depression is finally lifted, his family back together. However, when his father gets a job as the school janitor, and Shawn gets bullied because of it, it causes more problems. He goes to talk to his mother, and she tells him that is proud of Chet. Shawn accepts this, but Chet quits to keep from embaressing him. Even though Verna has promised to stay, she leaves her family again for unexplained reasons. We see Shawn become affected by this when he starts feeling like a failure, and joins a cult to try to 'feel' something. But when Mr. Turner goes into a coma, Shawn is forced to reevaulate himself, and leaves the cult.

Season Five

In the season premiere, Shawn's half brother, Jack returns after being absent from his life. Shawn does not take well to this, but Cory convinces him to try to get along,with Jack since he is Eric's roommate. Following this, Chet kicks Shawn out, and demands that he go and live with Jack. Sometime during this, Chet skips town again, leaving an underage Shawn on his own once more. After Topanga mentions to Shawn that he needs to start getting serious, he and Cory find the purse of an unnamed girl. Shawn sets out a mission to find the girl, and her interests force him to realize that he does want an intellectual relationship, and not just a physical one. He falls in love with Angela Moore, and the two date for the majority of season 5. They get into a fight, when Shawn starts drowning his sorrows in alcohol, and pushes Angela in anger. He apologizes, and their friendship is resolved. They break up for a short while when Shawn's exes tie him up out of revenge. He tells them that he didn't mean to hurt them like he did, and while Angela is impressed, it doesn't do much for them. The two get back together sometime before prom. Shawn worries that he will not graduate high school, and while Topanga helps him study, he only passes by a few points.

Season Six

Shawn gets scared of his serious relationship with Angela, and breaks up with her. Cory and Topanga try to get them back together once learning that they are still in love with each other. Shawn's father Chet comes back to town and promises to stay but Shawn doesn't believe him because he has made that promise so many times before only to take off again , During an argument with Shawn, Chet suffers a heart attack and is rushed to the hospital. Shawn manages to make amends with Chet before he dies. A few days later, while cleaning out his dad's trailer, Shawn finds a letter to Chet from Jack's stepfather and discovers that Chet went to him for help to pay for Shawn's college fund and is outraged because he is not one to recieve charity, but eventually realizes that Jack's stepfather was trying to help. Shawn then decides to go on a road trip and takes Cory along with him, the two stop at a truck stop where Chet frequently stopped at and discovers that his dad was proud of him and talked about him a lot. Shawn then reveals that he won't be returning and convinces Cory to let him go, Shawn is then visited by the ghost of his dad and Chet tells Shawn that he will always be with him and Shawn drives off to his uncertain future. A few days later, Shawn returns when Cory's younger brother Joshua is born premature and may not survive, Shawn tells Joshua about all the good things in life : Family and Friends.

Season Seven

Future

Shawn was the third person who hold Cory and Topanga's daughter, Riley, after she was born. He moved away from New York the day after her birth and went on to become a writer and a photographer. 

Relations

  • Son of Chet and Virna Hunter. Although later found out that Virna wasn't his real mother.
  • Half-brother of Jack Hunter.
      • Half-brother of Eddie Hunter and other members of the trailer park, but this fact was later disregarded on a continuity error.
      • Has a sister named Stacy that was only mentioned in the first season of the show.

Mostly during the episode where Cory tries to straighten his hair/give himself a perm. (Shawn spoke to her over the phone).

  • Best friend of Cory.
  • Boyfriend to Angela Moore

Series Highlights

  • Attended elementary school with Cory, Topanga Lawrence, and Stuart Minkus.
  • Blew up a mail box, his first known encounter with the law.
  • Graduated from John Adams High with his friends, maintained his friendship with Cory.
  • Lived with Mr. Turner while his father searched the country for his mother.
  • Dated a few girls in high school, including Dana Pruitt, Jennifer Bassett, and ultimately Angela.
  • Was reunited with his half-brother, Jack, in season 5.
    • Moved in with Jack and Eric Matthews in his senior year of high school.
  • Went to Pennbrook with Cory, Angela, and Topanga. Broke up with Angela shortly thereafter.
  • Him and Angela had on-and-off feelings for each other, creating a roller coaster relationship during season 6 and season 7.
  • Went on the road for two days after his father passed away, but later came back when Cory's younger brother Joshua was born.
  • Was heartbroken when Angela moved to Europe with her father.
  • Moved to New York City with Cory, Topanga, and Eric.

Alternate Personalities

Shawnzie

"Shawnzie Hunterelli"

Trivia

Loved and lost

Shawn gives Cory advice in French.

  • In the season 3 episode City Slackers, we learn that Shawn's middle name is "Patrick".
  • Shawn was born in Ohio.
  • Shawn lived in Oklahoma before the start of the series.
  • In the episode City Slackers, Mr. Feeny mentions Shawn attended 5 different schools before he was 12.
  • Shawn speaks at least 5 languages:
  • Shawn has trouble understanding his teachers in the earlier seasons, and he explains it is because he hears a strange buzzing sound whenever adults speak.
  • Shawn mentions NYPD Blue a few times once in Once in Love with Amy and another time Wake Up, Little Cory.
  • Shawn loves ice skating, this is one of the few things he and Jack have in common
  • Shawn likes the band Counting Crows, which Mr. Feeny reveals in City Slackers.
  • Shawn is supposedly an excellent poet, and he says he has been doing it since he was young.
  • He can't sleep without a light at night because of the headlights from the 18-wheelers shining in his window in the trailer.
  • Shawn once appeared in an episode of Maybe This Time, another show by Michael Jacobs, (to watch click here ) in which, while sharing his trepidations with Cory over setting both the gym and cafeteria of Adams High ablaze, the pair meta-interacted with the main young female lead, Gracie, across her television set.  Later they are called back to their own show by the voice of Mr. Feeny ("Busted.").
  • Used to be an alcoholic, until Jack made him stop.
  • Shawn is the only character, other than Cory, to appear in every episode of the series.


Main Character Navigation
Cory MatthewsShawn HunterTopanga LawrenceEric MatthewsJack HunterAngela MooreRachel McGuireGeorge FeenyAlan MatthewsAmy MatthewsMorgan MatthewsJonathan TurnerEli WilliamsStuart Minkus
Advertisement