Ed Alonzo casts doubt on Dustin Diamond’s claim his father mismanaged his money

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Story by Valerie Nome

The late Dustin Diamond’s claims that his father Mark Diamond mishandled his Saved By The Bell money seem inaccurate, according to former costar Ed Alonzo.

The actor, 63, who played the owner of Bayside High hotspot The Max from 1989-1992, spoke with The New York Post's Page Six in an interview published Tuesday, May 5.

He said that the father-son team seemed like “the best of friends” during his time on the show, and that he spent a lot of time with them.

New Documentary Aims to Tell All

There was nothing he saw that led him to believe Dustin, who played Samuel "Screech" Powers, was being fleeced by his father.

“The amount of money we all made was not amazing money that the cast of Friends was making,” he told Page Six. “We weren’t making $1 million an episode.”

He told the New York Post’s gossip column he couldn’t be sure of Dustin’s allegation that Mark misdirected his funds.

“I never saw frivolous spending of money,” Ed said. “They weren’t driving elaborate cars or going on crazy vacations.”

In 2021, Diamond died of cancer at age 44.

Alonzo appeared on the Hollywood Demons episode "After the Bell," which dove deep into the scandals behind the scenes of teen sitcom, which aired from 1989-1993 on NBC, and its associated spinoffs including 1994’s Saved By The Bell: The College Years and Saved By The Bell: Wedding in Vegas.

According to the documentary, Dustin told pal Dan Block, whom he befriended in 2017, he made $1,250 per week during the show’s run, but said he never saw the money.

In 2006, Dustin sold T-shirts bearing his face that read “Save My House” to avoid foreclosure on his Wisconsin home.

Because Saved By The Bell filmed before he turned 18, he told press that he had fallen on hard times because his parents mismanaged his money.

Mark Diamond was ‘Really Upset’ by Son Dustin Diamond’s Claims

Dustin's dad also weighed in during the documentary.

The charge “made me really upset,” Mark confessed.

Mark said agents took 10 percent, and “anything left over, we had to cover certain things like gas, taxes, headshots.”

Alonzo told Page Six Dustin didn’t have “a lot of opportunities” to act after Saved By The Bell, which “kept him locked into [his child star persona]. He never really found a way to escape, even though he tried to.”

Lark Voorhies was 'Always Quiet,' Ed Alonzo Claimed

Ed most recently saw costar Lark Voorhies in 2025 at the funeral for series executive producer Peter Engel.

He told Page Six, “She was good. She just seemed like the normal shy Lark.”

Back in the day, Lark was also private.

“She has always been a very quiet girl,” Ed told Page Six. “Even back in 1989 when we started, she was always shy, and then just would explode and come to life as soon as the cameras were on.”

Hollywood Demons: After The Bell aired Monday, May 4, on ID and is streaming now on HBO Max.

[JO Sweet Heart]

To me, Mr. Ed's appearances on the show were the cherry on top of the ice cream bowl. I love his magic.

God bless you and him always!!!

Holly