Tiffani Thiessen Reveals Minimal 'Saved By The Bell' Residuals, Mario Lopez Agrees
The 'Saved By The Bell' star shared her experience with meager residuals from the popular 90s sitcom, a sentiment echoed by her co-star Mario Lopez.
Tiffani Thiessen, who starred as Kelly Kapowski in the beloved 90s sitcom "Saved By The Bell," has revealed the surprisingly small amount she continues to earn from residuals. In a recent interview, Thiessen stated that residual checks for the show have likely "dried out" and might even cost more to print than they are worth.
"I don't think for Saved By The Bell anymore, I think it's dried out," Thiessen told Page Six Radio. "It's like, negative now. It probably costs more to print the check."
While the show provided the cast with significant fame from its original run between 1989 and 1992, the financial rewards in terms of residuals were not substantial. Thiessen noted that the cast "made nothing and we just did our job," as they had little negotiating power at the time.
She explained that there was a slight increase in earnings when the show moved to a primetime slot for one season. However, Thiessen stated that she didn't begin to earn substantial income until she landed a role in "Beverly Hills, 90210" in 1994.
Her former "Saved By The Bell" co-star, Mario Lopez, who played A.C. Slater, backed Thiessen's claims, responding to the news on X (formerly Twitter) with "Real talk!"
This is not the first time cast members have spoken about the limited residual income from the show. In 2019, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, who portrayed Zack Morris, mentioned on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" that the cast had made "really bad deals" early in their careers, but acknowledged it as a learning experience.
Earlier this year, a friend of the late Dustin Diamond, who played Samuel 'Screech' Powers, shared a minuscule residual check the actor received in 2002. Dan Block revealed on the Investigation Discovery series "Hollywood Demons" that Diamond once received a check for just $12.74 for his work on the show.
In contrast to the "Saved By The Bell" cast, some actors continue to benefit significantly from residuals from other shows. Jon Cryer, star of "Two and a Half Men," recently told Page Six that his involvement in the sitcom continues to provide a substantial income, attributing it partly to securing a percentage of the show over the years, in addition to residual payments.