Saved By the Bell Stars Say Kobe Bryant Nearly Appeared in Reboot

The stars of the Saved By the Bell revival are revealing the cameo that never was.

Josie Totah and Alycia Pascual-Peña shared on their podcast Dare We Say that the late and great basketball star Kobe Bryant was due to film a cameo for the Peacock series before he and eight others, including his daughter Gianna, died in a helicopter crash January 2020.

"A wild tidbit that I don't think a lot of people know, or, it's not important at all because obviously, we are the least of importance when it comes to this legend and his daughter's passing," Totah said in the Sept. 15 episode, "but we were actually supposed to film with Kobe two days after he died."

And while Totah, who co-hosts Dare We Say with Pascual-Peña and Yasmine Hamady, didn't know Bryant personally, she said learning of his death was a "surreal" experience, adding, "It was a very weird and insane thing to go through."

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Pascual-Peña said that at the time, she and the rest of the cast refrained from discussing his upcoming cameo out of respect for his family, explaining, "We want to respect the sentiment that every one is dealing with it in their own way."

Nonetheless, Pascual-Peña is now comfortable sharing that his death had a profound effect on the series, which was canceled after two seasons. "The energy on the set had shifted greatly," she said, "while we were filming the pilot of the show."

Pascual-Peña said on the podcast that she remembered being so excited to meet him, saying, "He was originally a fan of the first Saved By the Bell and he was excited to be on our show, like the [executive producer] told us that. And it's really beautiful and eye-opening to see how one person can change and bring joy to so many people."

While the Moxie actress said she was saddened by Bryant's sudden passing, she's comforted by the fact that he was beloved by so many. "Some people live their entire lives never seeing the full impact they had on the world until they pass," she explained. "Thankfully Kobe was given his flowers. That man was so loved and so respected."

Dare We Say releases new episodes weekly wherever you listen to podcasts.

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