Mario Lopez is backing Tiffani Thiessen’s surprising claim about how little the Saved by the Bell cast earned. Thiessen recently revealed that her residual checks from the hit sitcom have essentially disappeared. Lopez, who played A.C. Slater opposite Thiessen’s Kelly Kapowski, quickly made it clear that her account matched his own experience.
Mario Lopez reacts to Tiffani Thiessen’s surprising Saved by the Bell residuals confession
Thiessen discussed her Saved by the Bell earnings during a Sept. 24 appearance on Page Six Radio. She said the residual payments have now “dried out” and joked that printing the checks probably costs more than the amount on them.
Mario Lopez then responded directly to coverage of her comments on X. “Real talk!” he wrote. His brief response supported Tiffani Thiessen’s broader claim about the cast’s financial experience.
Thiessen said the young actors had little negotiating power while making Saved by the Bell. Despite the show’s enormous popularity, she said they “made nothing” compared with what people might assume from its lasting success.
She added that the cast received a small pay increase when the series briefly moved into primetime. However, Thiessen said she did not begin earning what she considered “real money” until she joined Beverly Hills, 90210.
Her comments also echo what Mark-Paul Gosselaar has said about the cast’s contracts. He previously acknowledged that they made poor deals during the show’s original run. The financial revelations stand in sharp contrast to the sitcom’s enduring popularity. The franchise recently returned to the spotlight after the death of Principal Belding actor Dennis Haskins at 75.
Thiessen, Lopez, and Elizabeth Berkley also reunited earlier this year for a promotional event, showing that the Saved by the Bell cast still shares a connection. But nostalgia has not translated into major Saved by the Bell residuals.
With one short response, Mario Lopez made it clear that Tiffani Thiessen’s earnings claim was not simply her experience. At least one of her most recognizable co-stars says she got it exactly right.
