Child Star Dustin Diamond Wasn't Living Large Off His Saved By The Bell Residuals

Children of the '80s and '90s grew up watching Dustin Diamond as the geeky Samuel "Screech" Powers on "Saved by the Bell," but the child actor was only earning a couple of bucks off the popular sitcom as an adult. Before Dustin's tragic death from lung cancer at age 44 in 2021, his residual checks from the show were less than $20. "Here is one for $12.74," his friend, Dan Block, revealed on "Hollywood Demons" in May 2026 (via Page Six), holding up a check from 2002.

In the "After the Bell" episode, Block accused Dustin's parents of mismanaging the actor's finances for their own benefit. "[They] were stealing his money or taking his money," he said. As a result, Dustin was left in the dark about his financial situation heading into adulthood. "[He was unsure] about how much he made or how much he didn't make," Block revealed. The actor himself hadn't stayed quiet on the issue. Years before Dustin's death, he'd slammed his parents for his financial woes. "It's a shame. My parents wasted so much of my hard work," he told FOX6 in 2015.

Mark Diamond ultimately defended himself in the "Hollywood Demon" episode. He contended Dustin wasn't exactly making bank, bringing in enough to cover utilities, taxes, headshots, and other similar expenses at best. "This didn't leave much money for us to do anything," he said (via the Independent). Dustin's "Saved by the Bell" co-star Ed Alonzo corroborated some of Mark's claims. "The amount of money we all made was not amazing money," he told Page Six. Regardless of how it came to be, Dustin was living a lavish life off his previous fame. 

Dustin Diamond's life after "Saved by the Bell" was plagued by financial insecurity, particularly after the show's spinoff, "Saved by the Bell: The New Class," ended in 2000. Shortly after, Dustin Diamond filed for bankruptcy in 2001, declaring NBC as his employer and his monthly earnings to be $5,300. However, his financial troubles wouldn't come to light until a few years later.

In 2006, he made headlines when the media caught wind that Diamond was selling autographed T-shirts in an attempt to raise $250,000 to save his Wisconsin home from foreclosure. The tees featured a photo of Diamond holding a sign with the words "Save My House" on the front and "I paid $15.00 to save Screeech's house" with the extra "e" as a protective measure against copyright laws. "If the public didn't care, I as an entertainer wouldn't have been a success," Diamond said while promoting the venture (via CBS News). Diamond had moved to Port Washington two years earlier.

Diamond put his house up for sale for $280,000 in 2019, though he continued to face several mortgage foreclosure orders, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported in 2020. "We're doing everything we can to help him (Diamond) out both with the sale of the home and getting his stuff," the property's listing agent Christ Mesoloras said. Additionally, Diamond owed over $31,000 in state income taxes, showing his financial situation had widespread consequences. In 2018, a year before putting his home on the market, Diamond had moved to Florida, where he died.