Saved by the Bell was one of the most successful TV shows of the '90s, and one of the reasons the original show worked so well was the performances of its six young stars. Just about all of them reunited to reprise their roles for the 2020 revival except for Dustin Diamond, who has been estranged from his former cast members for some time. But following Diamond’s recent cancer diagnosis, Mario Lopez made it a point to send him some love and support.
It was recently reported that Dustin Diamond had been hospitalized for intense pain and discomfort. Later, it was announced that the actor had been diagnosed with stage four cancer. His diagnosis elicited well wishes from many, including Mario Lopez, who reached out through an Instagram post. Check out the heartwarming post:
Dustin Diamond and Mario Lopez have had very different paths since their stints on Saved by the Bell ended. After leaving the iconic series, Lopez managed to keep his acting career going while accumulating a number of hosting gigs. On the other hand, Diamond has had few acting roles and has had his share of legal issues. The relationship seemed to be on bad terms after Diamond released a tell-all book about his time on the show, though he later apologized to his co-stars for the book.
Based on images in Mario Lopez’s post, it seems the two men have reconciled in recent years, and the fact that Lopez reached out to Dustin Diamond says a lot about the current status of their relationship. Quite frankly, you love to see this kind of support between colleagues.
Lopez and Diamond, along with Tiffani Thiessen, Elizabeth Berkley, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Lark Voorhies, became TV icons, thanks to Saved by the Bell. Despite being panned by critics, the series made a massive impact, which, at the time, led NBC to abandon animated series for live-action teen sitcoms on Saturday mornings. It spawned multiple television films and two spinoff series – The College Years and The New Class. Diamond, who become a fan favorite for his role as Samuel "Screech" Powers, went on to star in both spinoffs.
Though Diamond did not appear alongside his co-stars in the first season of the reboot, Screech's absence was explained with a brief line of dialogue. Before Diamond's diagnosis, the producers remained coy on any specific plans to include the character in the show, and it's unclear if there were any concrete plans about reintroducing the character.
Despite any ups and downs Dustin Diamond and his Saved by the Bell cast members may have shared over the years, it’s nice to see Mario Lopez reach out to him during such a tough time. As the iconic song suggests, these two do seem to be "friends forever." Saved by the Bell is available to stream on Peacock.
