Dustin Diamond, known for his role as the nerdy Screech, claimed he did not write the infamous “Saved by the Bell” tell-all book in an upcoming interview with Extra’s Mario Lopez, one of his former co-stars.
“I wanted to write a book about my life. I was supposed to talk to a ghostwriter for 40 hours total. I talked to a guy for 90 minutes total,” said Diamond. “Another two weeks go by and I get something in the mail. I get a copy of the book. They fabricated a whole bunch of stuff.”
“The book didn’t exactly paint a flattering picture of your fellow cast-mates,” said Lopez, who played AC Slater on the NBC sitcom. The book said Lopez had tried to “hit on every co-star” and Mark Paul-Gosselaar, who played Zack Morris, was accused of steroid use.
“I haven’t talked to Mark Paul or Elizabeth [Berkley] or Tiffani [Thiessen] in ages, so I can’t imagine what they think,” said Diamond. “It wasn’t me. I didn’t write this. I was just as shocked and appalled.”
In the interview, Diamond and Lopez also discussed Diamond’s 2014 arrest where the former child star was alleged to have stabbed a man in a Wisconsin bar. Diamond claimed he never stabbed anyone and was acting out of defense of his fiance, Amanda Schutz.
“I opened my pocket knife and said ‘let my wife go immediately,’ which worked,” said Diamond. “The guy came from around me and grabbed my throat, and so he nicked his arm on the tip of it [blade],” said Diamond.
The interview with Extra is Diamond’s first since being released from jail following the arrest. “I want to put the tomfoolery and malarkey behind me,” he said.
