Saved by the Bell's Tiffani Thiessen says residual checks are negligible; Mario Lopez agrees
Tiffani Thiessen told Page Six Radio that Saved by the Bell now pays next to nothing in residuals, and co-star Mario Lopez replied "Real talk!" on X. Both outlets add other actors' accounts of small residual payments.
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The story, neutrally told
Tiffani Thiessen, who played Kelly Kapowski on Saved by the Bell, said in an interview with Page Six Radio that the show now pays her almost nothing in residuals. The IndependentLC “Thiessen said on Page Six Radio last week that the money from the NBC show, which ran from 1989 to 1993, had essentially “dried up.”” Read at The Independent ↗ Daily MailR “Thiessen, 52, revealed just how little she continues to earn from being on the show.” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Thiessen joked that the payments are "negative now" and that it costs more to print the check than the check is worth. The IndependentLC ““It’s like, negative now. It costs more to print the check.”” Read at The Independent ↗ Daily MailR “‘It’s like, negative now. It probably costs more to print the check.’” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Thiessen said the cast had no "pull" on the show, that they "made nothing and we just did our job", and that they earned a little more when the show moved to primetime for one season. Daily MailR “'We didn’t have pull on that show at all. We made nothing and we just did our job,' she said.” Read at Daily Mail ↗ The IndependentLC ““When we went primetime for one season, we got a little bit more.”” Read at The Independent ↗
Thiessen said real money did not come until joining Beverly Hills, 90210 as Valerie Malone in 1994. The IndependentLC “she did not “start making real money” until she joined the cast of Beverly Hills, 90210 as Valerie Malone in 1994.” Read at The Independent ↗ Daily MailR “'I didn’t start making real money until I went to 90210.'” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Co-star Mario Lopez, who played AC Slater, responded on X with the two words "Real talk!"; The Independent said he had not answered its request for further comment. The IndependentLC “Lopez, who starred on the show as AC Slater, has not returned The Independent’s request for further comment.” Read at The Independent ↗ Daily MailR “Thiessen’s revelation was backed up by her former co-star Mario Lopez, who reacted with two words on X: 'Real talk!'” Read at Daily Mail ↗ The Independent explained that residuals are long-term payments to those who worked on films and television shows, typically negotiated by unions and normally sent for reruns and other airings after initial release. The IndependentLC “Residuals are long-term payments to those who worked on films and television shows. Typically negotiated by unions, the money is normally sent for reruns and other airings after a project’s initial release.” Read at The Independent ↗
The Daily Mail noted the complaint is not new: Mark-Paul Gosselaar said in 2019 on Watch What Happens Live that the cast made "really bad deals", and a friend of the late Dustin Diamond said on Hollywood Demons that Diamond once received a $12.74 check dated 2002. Daily MailR “'We made really bad deals - poor deals, back then - it is what it is. You move on, you learn; great experience,' Gosselaar said on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in 2019.”“'Here is one for $12.74 and this is from 2002,' Block said of residual checks Diamond received” Read at Daily Mail ↗ The Independent set the remarks beside other sitcom actors' accounts: The Brady Bunch's Eve Plumb wrote that the cast receive no residuals despite constant syndication, and Full House's Jodie Sweetin said she got a one-cent check. The IndependentLC “Earlier this year, The Brady Bunch actor Eve Plumb revealed that she and her co-stars do not receive residuals when their sitcom airs”““I got a one cent check the other day,” the actor said on a podcast.” Read at The Independent ↗ The Daily Mail contrasted this with Jon Cryer, who said Two and a Half Men still produces "an astonishing amount of money", though mostly not from residuals, because he secured a percentage of the show. Daily MailR “'It still is an engine that’s producing an astonishing amount of money,' he recently told Page Six.”“It’s mostly because over the course of the years, I was able to get some percentage of the show.” Read at Daily Mail ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- A short celebrity-news item framing the remarks as the cast "pulling back the curtain" on residuals, with an explainer on what residuals are and comparisons to other sitcom casts.
- Emphasis
- The joke about printing the check, Lopez's reply, and other sitcom actors' low or absent residuals (Brady Bunch, Full House).
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention Gosselaar's 2019 comments, Dustin Diamond's $12.74 check or Jon Cryer's contrasting income.
- Charged language
- “surprising admission”“pulling back the curtain”
- For example
-
“The cast of Saved by the Bell is pulling back the curtain on their residual checks from the Nineties sitcom.” — The Independent
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- Celebrity-gossip framing built on fame versus fortune, treating Lopez's reply as endorsing Thiessen and noting the story is not new.
- Emphasis
- Past Saved by the Bell cast comments on poor pay, Diamond's small check, and Jon Cryer as a counter-example of lasting earnings.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not explain what residuals are, nor cite other sitcom casts such as Brady Bunch or Full House; does not note whether Lopez responded to requests for comment.
- Charged language
- “shocking residuals”“telling response”“paltry residual checks”
- For example
-
“The show offered the cast fame. But as for fortune? Not so much.” — Daily Mail
“shedding more light on their paltry residual checks” — Daily Mail
What every side reports
- Tiffani Thiessen told Page Six Radio that Saved by the Bell residuals are now negligible, joking it costs more to print the check.
- Thiessen said the cast had no pull on the show and earned a bit more during one primetime season.
- Thiessen said she did not make real money until Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1994.
- Mario Lopez responded on X with "Real talk!".
Where accounts differ
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How long the show ran / Thiessen's years on it
- Left
- The Independent says the NBC show ran from 1989 to 1993.
- Right
- The Daily Mail says Thiessen starred from 1989 to 1992 and that Dustin Diamond played Screech from 1989 to 1993.
-
Thiessen's exact wording
- Left
- The Independent quotes: "It costs more to print the check."
- Right
- The Daily Mail quotes: "It probably costs more to print the check."
Tiffani Thiessen person
Says Saved by the Bell residuals have dried up, the cast had no pull and made little, and her real earnings began with Beverly Hills, 90210.
““We made nothing and we just did our job,” she said.” — The Independent
“'I didn’t start making real money until I went to 90210.'” — Daily Mail
Mario Lopez person
Endorsed Thiessen's remarks with a two-word reply on X, "Real talk!", and has given no further comment to The Independent.
“her former co-star Mario Lopez weighed in on the matter, writing simply on X: “Real talk!”” — The Independent
Left1 article
-
Saved by the Bell stars make surprising admission about residual checks
Neutral Straightforward report with context on residuals and other sitcom stars' experiences, framed as a surprising admission.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right1 article
-
Mixed Tabloid-style piece with teasing headline, stressing fame versus fortune and the history of the cast's pay complaints.
- 1 Oct 17:52 First The IndependentLC Saved by the Bell stars make surprising admission about residual checks
- 1 Oct 20:21 +2h 29m Daily MailR Tiffani Thiessen reveals shocking residuals from Saved By The Bell... before Mario Lopez offers telling response
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.