“SBTB” fans still yell at Patrick Muldoon for trying to steal Kelly from Zack

[TMC]

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The actor infamously played Jeff, the hunky diner manager who dared to come between the show's endgame couple.

Raechal Shewfelt
Wed, October 22, 2025 at 5:45 PM PDT

Patrick Muldoon just can't get beyond his days at the Max.

Over the past 35 years the actor has played memorable roles in screen projects like Days of Our Lives, Melrose Place, and Starship Troopers, but he continues to be haunted by his Saved by the Bell turn as Jeff, the guy who dared to come between the teen sitcom's favorite couple.

"There's no week that goes by that I don't get at least, I'd say, one to three messages on Instagram," Muldoon said on the latest episode of Tori Spelling's MisSPELLING podcast. "It doesn't matter what my post is, it's like, 'That's that son of a bitch who stole Kelly from Zack. I hate him!' And then someone will join in, 'I hate him too. You ruined my childhood!'"

Saved by the Bell fans will no doubt recall that Muldoon played Jeff Hunter, the hunky boss of Tiffani Thiessen's Kelly Kapowski at the gang's after-school hangout. When Kelly wasn't hanging out with her boyfriend Zack Morris (played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar), she served up milkshakes, burgers, and fries to a crowd that almost always included their friends Jessie Spano (Elizabeth Berkley), A.C. Slater (Mario Lopez), Lisa Turtle (Lark Voorhies), and Samuel "Screech" Powers (Dustin Diamond).

Alas, Jeff hit it off with Kelly so much that she broke up with Zack. But just a few episodes later, Kelly caught Jeff cheating on her when she showed up at a club called the Attic. What a rascal!

"People are not happy with me still," Muldoon admitted. "But it's cool, because you did something that people remember."

Spelling of course knows a thing or two about appearing on beloved teen TV shows, having starred on Beverly Hills, 90210 and guest-starred on Saved by the Bell during the same season as Muldoon. On her podcast, she asked if Muldoon ever reminds people that he's not his character.

Nope, he said, though he did offer examples of what he does tell them.

"Forgive me, Saved by the Bell audience, but I say, 'She loved it.' That's one," Muldoon explained. "But I rarely do that one. It's only if somebody's rude. I usually say, 'I was just trying to spice up their relationship. I did it for Kelly and Zack. So Zack sees how valuable Kelly is.'"

[JO Sweet Heart]

Kelly should've slapped that guy when she saw him at the over 18 club dancing with another girl.

God bless you always!!!

Holly