It’s been a minute since Mark-Paul Gosselaar caught up with his former Saved by the Bell costar Dustin Diamond — 25 years to be specific.
Andy Cohen asked Gosselaar, 44, on the Tuesday, January 8, episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen how long it has been since he talked to Diamond, 42. The NYPD Blue alum immediately chuckled and slightly shrugged his shoulders before responding, “1994.”
“That’s funny,” Cohen, 50, said as Gosselaar added, “It’s the truth! I mean, I’m not making anything up.”
Gosselaar and Diamond costarred as Zack Morris and Samuel “Screech” Powers, respectively, in the NBC sitcom, which aired for four seasons from August 1989 to May 1993. After years of destructive behavior that included an arrest and a sex tape, Diamond made waves again in 2009 when he published a tell-all book titled Behind the Bell. It included claims about his former castmates’ sex lives and drug use.
“Everything I’ve heard about his book is it is negative,” Gosselaar said on HuffPost Live in 2014. “I don’t remember those things. My experience on the show was very positive.”
Diamond eventually distanced himself from the book and claimed that it was written by a ghostwriter. He also publicly apologized to his former costars Gosselaar, Mario Lopez, Lark Voorhies, Tiffani Thiessen and Elizabeth Berkley.
“I will say, guys, I think you’re fantastic,” the stand-up comedian said on The Dr. Oz Show in 2016. “I’m sorry that this has taken advantage of me — the book and other situations. … But I’m sure that you’ve experienced downfalls as well in your time, and I’m still loving you guys.”
Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen airs on Bravo Sundays through Thursdays at 11 p.m. ET.
