Maitland Ward

{{Infobox person

| name = Maitland Ward

| image = Maitland Ward 2014.jpg

| caption = Ward in 2014

| birth_name = Ashley Maitland Welkos

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1977|02|03}}

| birth_place = Long Beach, California, U.S.

| known_for = {{hlist|The Bold and the Beautiful|Boy Meets World}}

| other_names =

| occupation = {{hlist|Mainstream actress|pornographic actress|internet personality}}

| years_active = {{plainlist|

1994–2007 (mainstream)
2019–present (pornography)

}}

| spouse = {{marriage|Terry Baxter|October 21, 2006}}

| footnotes =

}}

Ashley Maitland Welkos (born February 3, 1977{{cite news |first=Jenna |last=Lemoncelli |title=Maitland Ward: 5 Things To Know About Former 'Boy Meets World' Star Who's Now Doing Porn |work=Hollywood Life |date=October 3, 2019 |url=https://hollywoodlife.com/2019/10/03/who-is-maitland-ward-boy-meets-world-actress-porn-star/ |access-date=November 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526203815/https://hollywoodlife.com/2019/10/03/who-is-maitland-ward-boy-meets-world-actress-porn-star/ |archive-date=May 26, 2022 |url-status=live}}), known professionally as Maitland Ward,{{r|NYT 2006}} is an American pornographic film performer and former actress. She made her acting debut as a teenager, playing Jessica Forrester on the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful (1994–1996). In her 20s, she appeared in film and television, gaining prominence for playing Rachel McGuire on the sixth and seventh seasons of the ABC sitcom Boy Meets World (1998–2000), before retiring in 2007. In 2019, Ward began a new career as a pornographic film actress.

Career

= Acting career =

Ward starred as Jessica Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful, where she appeared from 1994 to 1996.{{cite magazine |first=Emily |last=Kanoff |title=We're Having a Live Boy Meets World Cast Reunion on OKMagazine.com Now! |magazine=OK! |date=October 23, 2013 |url=http://okmagazine.com/videos/were-having-a-live-boy-meets-world-cast-reunion-on-okmagazine-com/ |access-date=February 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024010940/http://okmagazine.com/videos/were-having-a-live-boy-meets-world-cast-reunion-on-okmagazine-com/ |archive-date=October 24, 2013 |url-status=live}} 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 1997 television film 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 Dish Dogs, a romantic comedy in which she co-stars with Brian Dennehy, Matthew Lillard and Sean Astin. Later, she appeared in the 2004 comedy film White Chicks with Shawn and Marlon Wayans.{{cite web |first=Sam |last=Wha'anda |title=5 pics from White Chick star's porn-style 'High-Voltage' photoshoot |website=Pulse.ng |date=February 27, 2015 |url=http://pulse.ng/hotpulse/maitland-ward-nude-5-pics-from-white-chick-stars-porn-style-high-voltage-photoshoot-id3526457.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083304/http://pulse.ng/hotpulse/maitland-ward-nude-5-pics-from-white-chick-stars-porn-style-high-voltage-photoshoot-id3526457.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead}}

= Cosplay and social media =

File:Maitland ward baxter cosplaying as vamperella, wonder woman, and poison ivy (September 2015) (cropped).jpg

After retiring from mainstream acting, Ward began engaging in cosplay and making appearances at various comics conventions. Her first cosplay was a slave Princess Leia outfit; she was given the idea by photographers that she had worked with on the red carpet.{{cite web |first=Tony |last=Smejek |title=Professional Cosplayers Can Now Make 6 Figures A Year |website=Monkeysfightingrobots.com |date=July 27, 2016 |url=http://www.monkeysfightingrobots.com/professional-cosplayers-can-now-make-6-figures-a-year/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828020325/http://www.monkeysfightingrobots.com/professional-cosplayers-can-now-make-6-figures-a-year/ |archive-date=August 28, 2017 |url-status=dead}} She also appeared as Jessica 6 from Logan's Run and as Red Sonja.{{cite magazine |first=Jessica P. |last=Ogilvie |title=Maitland Ward Is Snapchat's Resident Sex Symbol |work=MEL Magazine |date=October 5, 2016 |url=https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/maitland-ward-is-snapchats-resident-sex-symbol |access-date=November 21, 2024}} By 2017, she was making comics-convention appearances wearing only body paint.{{Cite web |title=15 Questions with (and Sexy Photos of) Maitland Ward (Exclusive) |first=Ed |last=Gross |work=FHM |date=August 4, 2017 |url=http://fhm.com/posts/maitland-ward-cosplaying-comic-con-138473 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806210418/http://fhm.com/posts/maitland-ward-cosplaying-comic-con-138473 |archive-date=August 6, 2017 |url-status=dead}}

= Adult film career =

Beginning in mid-2013, Ward began posting nude and topless photographs of herself on Snapchat and Instagram. In April 2016, she posted her first nude pictures to social media of her being body-painted for Luciano Paesani for a Los Angeles exhibition called "Living Art". In 2019, she announced on Instagram that she would be performing in an adult film entitled Drive, a move described by In Touch Weekly as a "drastic career-shift".{{cite magazine |first=Jaclyn |last=Roth |title=From 'Boy Meets World' to Adult Films: Inside Maitland Ward's 'Authentic Journey' Into Porn |magazine=In Touch Weekly |date=September 30, 2019 |url=https://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/rachel-from-boy-meets-world-today-maitland-wards-porn-journey/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530235503/https://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/rachel-from-boy-meets-world-today-maitland-wards-porn-journey/ |archive-date=May 30, 2023 |url-status=live}} Ward received support from former Boy Meets World co-star Trina McGee.{{cite news |first=Sasha |last=Savitsky |title='Boy Meets World' star Maitland Ward says porn brings new opportunities, promises 'more taboo stuff to come' |work=Fox News |date=October 6, 2019 |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/boy-meets-world-star-maitland-ward-says-porn-brings-new-opportunities-promises-more-taboo-stuff-to-come.amp |access-date=October 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629013911/https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/boy-meets-world-star-maitland-ward-says-porn-brings-new-opportunities-promises-more-taboo-stuff-to-come.amp |archive-date=June 29, 2023 |url-status=live}}

In May 2019, Ward signed with adult talent agency Society 15.{{cite web |first=JC |last=Adams |title=Mainstream Actress Maitland Ward Signs With Society 15 |date=July 12, 2019 |url=https://www.xbiz.com/news/245406/mainstream-actress-maitland-ward-signs-with-society-15 |access-date=July 12, 2019 |website=XBIZ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713003620/https://www.xbiz.com/news/245406/mainstream-actress-maitland-ward-signs-with-society-15 |archive-date=July 13, 2019 |url-status=live}} She stated that she had been approached by adult actress and director Kayden Kross and was "just floored" by the proposition of doing adult films. She told In Touch Weekly, "It's been an evolution. It's all been my authentic journey because everything that I have done along the way is something I wanted to explore and do. I just did it publicly for my fans, that is the exhibitionist style of me."{{cite news |author= |title='Boy Meets World' actress is now a porn star: 'I need to do this' |agency=AOL |work=Yahoo Sports |date=October 3, 2019 |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/boy-meets-world-actress-now-194727828.html |access-date=February 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227015445/https://sports.yahoo.com/boy-meets-world-actress-now-194727828.html |archive-date=February 27, 2022 |url-status=live}} Drive was released online at the website Deeper.com on September 30, 2019.

Of her decision, Ward stated that she feared being typecast and believed that if she became a porn actress, new fans would have an opportunity to discover her. Upon Drive{{'}}s release, Ward promised "more taboo stuff to come", and she subsequently appeared in multiple additional porn scenes released on Deeper.com. She has said that she regards her transition into adult films as a savvy business move.{{cite news |author= |title='Boy Meets World' Maitland Ward Doing Porn Won't Ruin My Career!!! |work=TMZ |date=October 6, 2019 |url=https://www.tmz.com/2019/10/06/boy-meets-world-maitland-ward-porn-adult-film-xxx-wont-ruin-career/ |access-date=October 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621002519/https://amp.tmz.com/2019/10/06/boy-meets-world-maitland-ward-porn-adult-film-xxx-wont-ruin-career/ |archive-date=June 21, 2023 |url-status=live}}{{cite magazine |first=Maitland |last=Ward |title=How 'Boy Meets World' Star Maitland Ward Found Her Sexuality in Porn |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=July 23, 2023 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/maitland-ward-boy-meets-world-disney-porn-milf-sexuality-1234787292/ |url-access=limited |access-date=August 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230807160601/https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/maitland-ward-boy-meets-world-disney-porn-milf-sexuality-1234787292/ |archive-date=August 7, 2023 |url-status=live}}

Personal life

A native of Long Beach, California,{{cite magazine |author= |title=ExclusiveHappy Holidays! Maitland Ward Creating Video of Her 'Making Thanksgiving With My Feet' for Fans |magazine=Life & Style |date=November 19, 2021 |url=https://www.lifeandstylemag.com/posts/maitland-ward-creating-video-making-thanksgiving-with-my-feet/ |access-date=February 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227021509/https://www.lifeandstylemag.com/posts/maitland-ward-creating-video-making-thanksgiving-with-my-feet/ |archive-date=February 27, 2022 |url-status=live}}{{Cite news |first=Richard |last=Guzman |title=Long Beach Comic Con intimate forum for artists, cosplay, fans |work=Press-Telegram |publication-place=Long Beach, Calif. |date=2015-09-08 |url=https://www.presstelegram.com/2015/09/08/long-beach-comic-con-intimate-forum-for-artists-cosplay-fans/ |access-date=March 18, 2025}} Ward married real estate agent Terry Baxter on October 21, 2006.{{cite news |author= |title=Maitland Ward, Terry Baxter |newspaper=The New York Times |department=Fashion |date=October 22, 2006 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/22/fashion/weddings/22WELKOS.html |url-access=limited |access-date=February 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525123925/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/22/fashion/weddings/22WELKOS.html |archive-date=May 25, 2024 |url-status=live}} The couple met on a set.{{Cite web |first=Petra |last=Halbur |title=Maitland Ward of 'Boy Meets World' Believes That "Friendship, Trust and Laughter" Make for a Strong Relationship |website=Cupidspulse.com |date=July 1, 2013 |url=http://cupidspulse.com/53050/maitland-ward-boy-meets-world-marriage-laughter/ |access-date=August 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828020251/http://cupidspulse.com/53050/maitland-ward-boy-meets-world-marriage-laughter/ |archive-date=August 28, 2017 |url-status=live}} When they first got married, the couple moved to New York City for two years, during which time Ward studied writing and screenwriting at New York University; when they returned to Los Angeles, she continued her studies at UCLA.

In 2022, Atria Books published her autobiography, Rated X: How Porn Liberated Me from Hollywood.{{cite book |first=Maitland |last=Ward |title=Rated X: How Porn Liberated Me from Hollywood |year=2022 |publisher=Atria Books |location=New York |isbn=978-1-9821-9589-2}}{{Independent source inline|date=March 2025}}

Filmography

=Mainstream filmography=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" \|+Film and television roles
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
1994–1996 \|{{sortname\|The\|Bold and the Beautiful}} \|Jessica Forrester \|Recurring role (129 episodes)
1997 \|Killing Mr. Griffin \|Candice Lee \|Television film (NBC)
1998 \|USA High \|Tina \|Episode: "Buddies"
1998 \|Home Improvement \|Christy \|Episode: "The Old College Try"
1998–2000 \|Boy Meets World \|Rachel McGuire \|Main cast (45 episodes)
1999 \|{{sortname\|A\|Bold Affair\|nolink=1}} \|Eleanor \|
2000 \|Dish Dogs \|Molly \|Feature film; direct-to-video
2002 \|Boston Public \|Rachel Newman \|Episode: "Chapter 43"
2004 \|White Chicks \|Brittany Wilson \|
2005 \|Out of Practice \|Staci \|Episode: "Pilot"
2007 \|Rules of Engagement \|Dani \|Episode: "Young and the Restless"

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

|+Film and television roles

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1994–1996

|{{sortname|The|Bold and the Beautiful}}

|Jessica Forrester

|Recurring role (129 episodes)

1997

|Killing Mr. Griffin

|Candice Lee

|Television film (NBC)

1998

|USA High

|Tina

|Episode: "Buddies"

1998

|Home Improvement

|Christy

|Episode: "The Old College Try"

1998–2000

|Boy Meets World

|Rachel McGuire

|Main cast (45 episodes)

1999

|{{sortname|A|Bold Affair|nolink=1}}

|Eleanor

|

2000

|Dish Dogs

|Molly

|Feature film; direct-to-video

2002

|Boston Public

|Rachel Newman

|Episode: "Chapter 43"

2004

|White Chicks

|Brittany Wilson

|

2005

|Out of Practice

|Staci

|Episode: "Pilot"

2007

|Rules of Engagement

|Dani

|Episode: "Young and the Restless"

=Adult films=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

! Year

! Title

! Studio

! class="unsortable" | Notes

rowspan=10|2019

|Cosplay Queen

|VR Bangers

|

Unprofessional

|Blacked

|

Wet And Wild

|Brazzers

|

Order of Termination

|VR Bangers

|

Drive

|Deeper

|Series

Black and Red

|Blacked

|Series

When Superstars Collide

|Lesbian X

|

Raw 38

|Jules Jordan

|Series

Lesbian Superstars

|Lesbian X

|Series

We All Do It, Too

|Blacked

|

2019–2020

|Mistress Maitland

|Deeper

|Series

rowspan=7|2020

|Poolside Affairs

|Brazzers

|Series

Being Shared

|Deeper

|

Showgirl

|VR Bangers

|

Intimates: Maitland Ward

|Intimates

|

At Last

|rowspan=2|Deeper

|

Muse

|Series

Fertile

|rowspan=2|Blacked

|

rowspan=3|2021

|Stars 2

|Series

Mistress Maitland 2

|rowspan=5|Deeper

|Series

Muse 2

|Series

rowspan=4|2022

|Sex Without Love

|

Poetics for Tramps

|Series

Drift

|Series

Stars 4

|Blacked

|Series

Awards and nominations

Soap Opera Digest Awards
1995: Nominated, Outstanding Female Newcomer – The Bold and the Beautiful
Young Artist Awards
1995: Won, Best Performance by a Youth Actress in a Daytime Series – The Bold and the Beautiful
1996: Nominated, Best Performance by a Youth Actress in a Daytime Series – The Bold and the Beautiful
AVN Awards
2020: Won, Best Supporting Actress – Drive
2020: Won, Best Three-Way Sex Scene (G/G/B) – Drive
2020: Won, Fan Award - Favorite Camming Cosplayer
2021: Won, Best Actress – Muse
2021: Won, Best Boy/Girl Sex Scene – Higher Power
2023: Won, Best Leading Actress – Drift
2023: Won, Mainstream Venture of the Year
2024: Won, Best Actress - Featurette – My DP 6, Casting Couch
2025: Won, Best Actress - Featurette – Pigeonholed
XBIZ Awards
2020: Won, Crossover Star of the Year
2020: Won, Best Actress - Feature Movie – Drive
2020: Won, Best Sex Scene - Feature Movie – Drive
2020: Nominated, Best New Starlet
2021: Won, Best Acting - Lead – Muse
2021: Won, Best Sex Scene - Feature Movie – Muse
2022: Won, Performer of the Year
2022: Won, Best Acting - Lead – Muse 2
2023: Won, Best Sex Scene - Feature Movie – Drift
2025: Won, Best Acting - Lead – American MILF
2025: Won, Best Sex Scene - Comedy Movie – American MILF
NightMoves Awards
2020: Won, Best Actress (Editor's Choice)
XRCO Awards
2021: Won, Best Actress – Muse
2022: Won, Best Actress – Muse 2
2023: Won, Best Actress – Drift
XCritic Awards
2021: Won, Best Actress – Muse
2022: Won, Best Actress – Muse 2

References

External links

{{IMDb name}}
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Category:20th-century American actresses

Category:21st-century American actresses

Category:Actresses from Long Beach, California

Category:American child actresses

Category:American soap opera actresses

Category:American television actresses

Category:AVN Award winners

Category:Living people

Category:American pornographic film actresses

Category:1977 births

Category:Tisch School of the Arts alumni