Mark-Paul Gosselaar says 'Saved By the Bell' cast earn no residuals because of 'bad deals'
Mark-Paul Gosselaar revealed the hit '90s show "Saved By the Bell" is not as fruitful decades later.
Gosselaar, who played teen heartthrob Zack Morris in the classic comedy, told "Watch What Happens Live" host Andy Cohen that these days, the cast is not making any money from the series.
"We made really bad deals," he said during Tuesday night's episode. "Poor deals, back then. It is what it is. You move on, you learn."
Gosselaar, 44, catapulted to fame in "Saved By the Bell," which spanned five seasons from 1989-1993.
Related: Mark-Paul Gosselaar's kid co-star on Fox's 'The Passage' just heard of 'Saved by the Bell'
The cast also featured Mario Lopez (A.C. Slater), Dustin Diamond (Samuel "Screech" Powers), Lark Voorhies (Lisa Turtle), Tiffani Amber Thiessen (Kelly Kapowski) and Elizabeth Berkley (Jessie Spano) – none of whom are earning any residuals, according to Gosselaar.
By comparison, the main cast members of "Friends" receive 2 percent of the syndication revenue, totaling an annual paycheck of $20 million each for Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer.
Despite not receiving any residuals, Gosselaar described his time on "Saved By the Bell" as a "great experience."
The show lives on through Hulu and televised re-runs, and Gosselaar himself admitted to watching episodes to reminisce over old days on the set.
"When I watch the episodes, it’s like a new experience for me," he said. "I don’t remember. I wasn’t sentimental, I didn’t take anything from the set. My 14- and 12-year-old are watching it. They’re kind of like, 'Eh …' They’re unimpressed. But they’re unimpressed about everything."
Fans hoping for a possible reunion, don't hold your breath.
When asked when was the last time Gosselaar spoke to Diamond (whose Screech was Morris' nerdy best friend), Gosselaar replied: "1994. … It's the truth, I'm not making anything up."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mark-Paul Gosselaar says 'Saved By the Bell' cast earn no residuals because of 'bad deals'
