Will we ever see Dustin Diamond on the upcoming “Saved by the Bell” reboot?
On Tuesday night’s “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” Elizabeth Berkley, who stars in the project, was asked if the original show’s cast speaks with Diamond and whether he may appear in the new series.
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“So, I don’t know if he will make an appearance. We’ll see if there’s another season. Maybe it’s something to explore, and I haven’t talked to him in a long time,” she said.
Every one of the show's six child stars, with the exception of Diamond, is returning in some capacity to the reboot. Berkley, 48, said while it’s been years since she's been in touch with Diamond, there is no bad blood.
“Honestly, since I think we finished the show is the last time I actually spoke to him, but not because of anything bad,” she said. “I mean, he was always nice to me and he’s had his journey, but really I’ve kept more in touch with Mark-Paul (Gosselaar), Tiffani (Thiessen), Mario (Lopez) and then, from time to time, Lark (Voorhies).”
Diamond, 43, who is best known for his portrayal of the geeky and offbeat Screech Powers, has had run-ins with the law over the years, including serving time in a Wisconsin jail for stabbing a man in a bar in 2014. He also generated some publicity when he wrote an unflattering book about his time on “Saved by the Bell” called “Behind the Bell.”
He apologized for his behavior in a 2016 interview on “The Dr. Oz Show” and Gosselaar has moved on from Diamond’s antics.
"(I'd say), 'Hey, what's going on, man?' Would we go grab a beer afterwards? Probably not, but that doesn't mean anything," he told The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast when asked how he would react if Diamond walked into the studio while recording the podcast.
On “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” Berkley was asked a series of rapid-fire questions about her time on the show, which further enhanced the idea Diamond could be a handful while on the “Saved by the Bell” set.
“Who got in the most trouble with the producers?” Cohen asked.
“Maybe Dustin,” Berkley replied.
It wasn’t all about Diamond, though. Berkley made fun of the fact Lopez took the longest to get through hair and makeup, and she also reflected on how far the cast has come when she was asked to name which star has had the most successful career following “Saved by the Bell.”
“For a show that where we started so young, the core four, like Tiffani, me, Mark-Paul and Mario, have consistently worked in amazing things.”
You can judge for yourself if the new "Saved by the Bell" is another one of those amazing things when the series becomes available on Peacock beginning Nov. 25.
Peacock is part of TODAY's company, NBCUniversal.
