Maitland Ward (born Ashley Maitland Welkos ; February 3, 1977) is an American actress. She is known for playing Rachel McGuire on the ABC original series, Boy Meets World , and Jessica Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful . Ward starred as Jessica Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful , where she appeared from 1994 to 1996. [2] She landed that role, which was her first ever acting role when she was 17 and still a junior in high school. Ward had guest-starring roles on USA High and the seventh season of ABC's Home Improvement ; and co-starred with Jay Thomas and Mario Lopez in the dramatic movie, Killing Mr. Griffin . Her character of Rachel McGuire was added to Boy Meets World in 1998, at the beginning of the sixth season, as a main cast member. This role lasted until the series ended in 2000. After Ward's stint on Boy Meets World , she appeared in the independent film,...