Actress Lark Voorhies starred as Lisa Turtle on Saved by the Bell for the full run of the series.
Now, as a Saved by the Bell reboot moves forward, fans may be wondering why her name wasn’t mentioned regarding the project.
In an interview that she gave to Dr. Oz (which is shared below), Voorhies addressed the rumors and read what she had written about the whole situation.
Dr. Oz stated that Voorhies had not been asked to participate in the Saved by the Bell reboot, which is getting put together by her former castmates.
Voorhies read a section of her writing that began: “I have to admit I did feel a bit slighted and hurt when I was not invited to be part of the Saved by the Bell reunion as well as other cast members’ events.”
Voorhies continued by saying, “Yet, of course, I also realize that having this puzzling disorder may have played a major part in that factual decision. With that in mind, I am truly thankful for having had the chance to work on a show that has been so successful.”
The interview continued from that point, but it was clear that she was getting emotional while speaking about the ordeal publicly.
She also spoke about how she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and talked about the difficulties of it.
"I have to admit I did feel a bit slighted and hurt."
"Saved by the Bell" star Lark Voorhies joins me Wednesday to discuss her mental health, as well as her feelings about not being included in an upcoming reboot of the show. pic.twitter.com/mLYQ4aRpoF
— Dr. Mehmet Oz (@DrOz) February 18, 2020
Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle
The character of Lisa Turtle first appeared on Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was the first incarnation of the characters that would move on to Saved by the Bell.
The Good Morning, Miss Bliss cast also included Hayley Mills as Miss Bliss, Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Zack Morris, Dustin Diamond as Samuel “Screech” Powers, Max Battimo as Mikey Gonzalez, and Heather Hopper as Nikki Coleman.
When the show was brought back as Saved by the Bell, Voorhies, Gosselaar, and Diamond were joined by Tiffani Amber Thiessen as Kelly Kapowski, Mario Lopez as A.C. Slater, and Elizabeth Berkley as Jessie Spano.
While there was always a lot of relationship drama and schemes undertaken by Zack and Screech, it was Lisa who was the heart of the show and also the moral compass.
Saved by the Bell reboot
Not having Lark Voorhies reprising her role as Lisa Turtle on the Saved by the Bell reboot is pretty disappointing.
It would have been fun to see the whole cast back together again, but if the reboot does well in the ratings, maybe there is a shot she could return for future seasons.
If they decide to start adding characters from Saved by the Bell: The New Class, that could also be fun, as it served as another spin-off to the famous show.
Natalia Cigliuti — who played Lindsay Warner on The New Class — is currently co-starring on the new FOX show, Deputy.