Tiffani Thiessen said the “Saved by the Bell” cast had little influence and “made nothing,” though pay rose somewhat when the franchise moved to primetime. She said she did not earn “real money” until joining “Beverly Hills, 90210” in 1994.
Thiessen said the cast did not receive advance cuts of episodes. Mark-Paul Gosselaar, who played Zack Morris, said in 2019 that the cast had made “really bad deals.” In a 2026 “Hollywood Demons” episode, child-star manager Denise Simon said Mario Lopez had reported starting at roughly $1,500 per episode; the episode also said “Saved by the Bell” was generating about $15 million in advertising by 1991.
Thiessen said her residuals for playing Kelly Kapowski had “essentially disappeared,” joking that printing a check could cost more than its value. She praised younger actors for advocating for themselves and setting boundaries, while stressing that she was not saying every part of her own experience had been terrible.
