Dustin Diamond, best known for his fan-favorite role as Screech in the original run of Saved by the Bell, is in the hospital. The 44-year-old actor was hospitalized in Florida over the weekend, and reports suggest that he could be facing significant health issues. Here's what's happening.
The medical team for Dustin Diamond is reportedly concerned that he is suffering from cancer and are conducting a biopsy, according to TMZ, which also cites Diamond's team stating that he was hospitalized after feeling pain "all over his body" as well as a "general sense of unease" in Florida. Diamond's mother is said to have died of breast cancer, but no answers are available at the time of writing regarding what kind of cancer Diamond himself is being tested for.
According to a representative for Dustin Diamond in a statement to Us Weekly, the medical staff at the Florida hospital is "currently running tests" and that they are "hoping to get answers soon." Although Diamond's Screech was not included in the recent Saved by the Bell revival for Peacock, he was key to the original run of the series, particularly as the comic relief.
The revival explained Screech's absence by saying that he and Kevin the robot were living on the International Space Station, which accounted for Diamond's absence but raised some big questions about what happened to Screech between the end of Saved by the Bell and the beginning of the revival that checked in on his Bayside pals.
Screech relocating to the International Space Station seemingly put him out of reach from appearing in a second season or beyond, if Peacock sees a future for the series and can hold onto the original stars who made up a lot of the nostalgic appeal of the revival. That said, perhaps Screech's time in space could come to an end, or he could make a video cameo, which could bring Dustin Diamond back into the fold.
Dustin Diamond's real life since the end of Saved by the Bell has been more well-documented. The actor released a sex tape back in 2006, and then published a book called Behind the Bell in 2009 that claimed to tell scandalous true stories about the backstage behavior at Saved by the Bell, which he later claimed was ghostwritten, and he would go on to apologize for the book in 2016. Diamond also spent some time in prison, following a bar altercation in 2014 that ended in somebody being stabbed, and then he was arrested again after violating the terms of his probation in 2016.
Our thoughts here at CinemaBlend are with Dustin Diamond and his loved ones in light of his hospitalization. If you want to revisit his days as Screech, you can find the original run of Saved by the Bell streaming on Peacock, as well as Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style, and Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Vegas. For some additional viewing options now and in the coming weeks, check out our 2021 winter and spring premiere schedule.
