“Saved by the Bell” star Lark Voorhies gives rare interview about sitcom and Dustin Diamond's death
“Saved by the Bell” star Lark Voorhies gives rare interview about sitcom and Dustin Diamond's death
Staff AuthorMon, May 4, 2026 at 9:51 PM UTC
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Lark Voorhies in 'Hollywood Demons'Credit: Investigation DiscoveryKey Points -
Lark Voorhies gives a rare interview about Saved by the Bell in "After the Bell," the latest episode of the ID docuseries Hollywood Demons.
The actress shares her favorite Saved by the Bell episode and movie spinoff, while her mother, Tricia, details Voorhies' 2015 diagnosis with schizoaffective disorder.
"It was the best feeling in the world" to "bring life to these characters," says Lark, who shares a heartfelt tribute to her friend and former costar Dustin Diamond, who died in 2021.
She was a fixture of '90s TV, and a trailblazer at that. And then, suddenly, she was gone.
Lark Voorhies captured hearts portraying fashion-obsessed teen Lisa Turtle across the series run of Saved by the Bell. She even appeared on Good Morning, Miss Bliss, the single-season forerunner of the classic high school sitcom, alongside future Bell stars Dustin Diamond and Mark-Paul Gosselaar.
Voorhies' career blossomed after Saved by the Bell wrapped in 1993. She proved she was more than Lisa Turtle, snagging roles on series like Martin, The Bold and the Beautiful, and The Parkers. But after the turn of the millennium, she seemed to vanish from the spotlight, and when she did appear, her erratic way of speaking startled fans.
The actress gives a rare interview in "After the Bell," a new look at the dark side of the sunny sitcom, and the latest episode of the Investigation Discovery network's Hollywood Demons docuseries, which premieres Monday. More than three decades out from the end of Saved by the Bell, Voorhies opens up about the sitcom's highs and lows, her ensuing journey, and Diamond's 2021 death.
Lark Voorhies in 'Hollywood Demons'Credit: Investigation Discovery
Voorhies is largely positive when reminiscing on her five years as Lisa Turtle — six if you count her time on Miss Bliss.
"It was the best feeling in the world. The best," she says. "It is great to bring life to these characters, and when you know you've hit that character, there's nothing like that rush in the world. Because you can see the boom it's going to bring to everyone else in the audience."
Voorhies shouts out one of the handful of spinoff movies that were produced after the series finale, Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style, as a particular highlight. "We got to splash each other, ride bicycles, get bit by mosquitos, and naturally we're in Hawaii, so we had a great time." She also names the Saved by the Bell episode "The Mall" as a personal favorite: "We go to cut loose. We had all these sets, we had a theater, we were hiding in a tent, we had all these storylines at once."
Though Voorhies herself doesn't engage in discussion on the topic, "After the Bell" dives into the troubling behavior she displayed as the 2000s rolled into the 2010s and her public appearances became more scarce.
An interview she gave to Entertainment Tonight in 2015 raised the most concern over Voorhies' mental health, as she appeared to stumble over her words, stutter, and at times string together nonsensical sentences.
When she was initially not asked to participate in the Saved by the Bell revival series in 2020 (she ultimately did appear in one episode), Voorhies admitted to feeling "a bit slighted and hurt" but understood the impact of a "puzzling disorder" on her ability to participate.
Voorhies and her mother, Tricia Voorhies, then revealed that Lark was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder in 2015. The Mayo Clinic defines the mental health condition as typically marked by hallucinations, delusions, depression, and mania. Tricia shares on "After the Bell" that Lark's "father had indicators of things," detailing "anger fits" that Lark reported witnessing after the couple separated.
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"I came to some paperwork on his death, and it was medication, which indicated there was some sort of personality disorder," Tricia says. "That's why he and I could not get along in our marriage years ago." Tricia says that at the time of her interview, Lark was not aware of her discovery, "so she'll learn now."
"After Lark's interview, she was informed off camera about her family's history," an intertitle on "After the Bell" then reads. "She continues to embrace treatment, while accepting opportunities in podcasting, TV, film and convention appearances that provide a structured production environment."
Tricia Voorhies in 'Hollywood Demons'Credit: Investigation Discovery
"After the Bell" also delves into the troubles that Diamond encountered after the series and its spinoff The College Years. The actor faced various legal and personal obstacles to maintaining a career in the entertainment industry, and in 2021, died at 44 after a private battle with cancer.
Voorhies appeared in the season 2 premiere of the Saved by the Bell revival in 2021, which included a touching tribute to Diamond. On "After the Bell," Diamond's close friend Dan Block recalls that Voorhies "was too emotional" during the taping, "and she had to keep going back to makeup. She had a hard time with that."
The actress herself concurs: "Yeah, he died of cancer, and that hurt. When Dustin died, we still carried it on… and we all got to celebrate him. I'm glad we got that on footage, because he matters."
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Lark Voorhies and Dustin Diamond on 'Saved by the Bell'Credit: Joseph Del Valle/NBCUniversal via Getty
Block testifies to Diamond and Voorhies' enduring friendship, describing Voorhies as "a really good person. She left a voicemail for him and we played it for him before he died, and he enjoy it. She was the only one who really reached out to him, and it was really heartfelt. I know they had a connection."
Through tears but with a smile, Voorhies shares, "That was my very good friend. I miss him."
"After the Bell" premieres Monday, May 4, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ID. New episodes of Hollywood Demons premiere weekly and are available to stream on HBO Max.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.
on Entertainment Weekly
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