Mario Lopez Breaking News, Photos, and Videos

Mario Lopez is remembering his final conversation with his former Saved By the Bell co-star Dustin Diamond.

The Access Hollywood co-host revealed on the show on Tuesday (February 2) that he had stayed in contact with Dustin over the years.

Mario shared, “I’m happy to say and I feel good about always having stayed in touch with Dustin. He had some struggles and a complicated life, but we all do.”

“I don’t abandon, like, my friends or never turn my back on people that are always there for me,” he continued. “And I stood by him and was always a phone call away when he moved to Wisconsin and we stayed in touch and he met his girlfriend recently. We were actually discussing, when I talked to him recently, just two weeks prior to him passing, about the upcoming season and figuring out doing something cool. I was trying to convince him to do something in the reality space that I’d be producing for him. It was actually pretty funny.”

Dustin passed away on Monday (February 1) after being diagnosed with with stage 4 small cell carcinoma. The actor, who was best known for his iconic role as Samuel “Screech” Powers, was 44.

Mario added, “Unfortunately that won’t come to fruition now, but he was in good spirits at least. He was pretty positive and optimistic last I spoke to him.”

Click here to see how the rest of the Saved by the Bell cast reacted to news of Dustin’s passing.

Dustin Diamond tragically passed away at the age of 44 after a very brief battle with terminal, stage four cancer.

He passed on Monday (February 1) after a brief hospitalization, and now, statements are being released. His rep released the following statement shortly after his death.

“We’ve been working alongside Dustin over the last 21 years. It goes without saying that our relationship cannot be categorized exclusively as a business. He has become a larger part of our everyday life: A part of our family and friend circle,” his rep told Us Weekly in a statement. “We are aware that Dustin is not considered reputable by most. He’s had a history of mishaps, of unfortunate events. We want the public to understand that he was not intentionally malevolent. He — much like the rest of those who act out and behave poorly — had undergone a great deal of turmoil and heartache. His actions, though rebukeable, stemmed from loss and the lack of knowledge on how to process that pain properly. In actuality, Dustin was a humorous and high-spirited individual whose greatest passion was to make others laugh. He was able to sense and feel other peoples’ emotions to such a length that he was able to feel them too—a strength and a flaw, all in one.”

Now, his Saved By the Bell co-stars are reacting.

Click inside to see some of the cast reactions to the tragic news…More Here! »

Mario Lopez is the first of the Saved By the Bell core cast to react to the death of Dustin Diamond.

Dustin passed away at the age of 44 on Monday (February 1) after a very short battle with stage four cancer. Dustin had been diagnosed just a few weeks ago and was hospitalized.

On Instagram, Mario posted, “Dustin, you will be missed my man. The fragility of this life is something never to be taken for granted. Prayers for your family will continue on…”

It was reported a few weeks ago that Mario had reached out to Dustin after he revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer.

Saved By the Bell ran from 1989 to 1992, and Dustin memorably played the role of Screech with Mario in the role of A.C. Slater.

Our continued thoughts are with Dustin‘s friends, family, and loved ones during this difficult time.

Saved by the Bell is coming back for more.

Peacock announced that they will be renewing the series for a 10-episode second season, THR reported Tuesday (January 19).

PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Mario Lopez

The announcement comes less than two months after its season one premiere on Peacock.

The series is a sequel to the 1990s teen comedy featuring several original cast members.

“I’m thrilled that Saved by the Bell has been renewed. I’ve been blown away by all the love for the show and can’t wait to go back and make more episodes. Hopefully we stay on Peacock for many more seasons, and then in 30 years, somebody does a reboot of our reboot and invents the threeboot,” says showrunner and executive producer Tracey Wigfield.

Here’s show summary: “In the new Saved by the Bell, Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), now governor of California, gets into political trouble for closing too many underfunded high schools and proposes sending affected students to some of the more affluent schools — including his alma mater, Bayside. An influx of new students gives the privileged kids of Bayside a needed dose of reality.”

The cast includes Haskiri Velazquez, Josie Totah, Alycia Pascual-Peña, Mitchell Hoog, Belmont Cameli, Dexter Darden and John Michael Higgins. Original cast members Elizabeth Berkley Lauren and Mario Lopez are also regulars, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar recurs.

Tiffani Thiessen, who plays Kelly Kapowski Morris on the reboot, can confirm just who Mac’s real dad is.

Dustin Diamond is receiving some well wishes from his former Saved By The Bell co-stars Mario Lopez and Tiffani Thiessen.

Earlier this week, Dustin was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer following a hospitalization in Florida, in which he was “feeling pain all over his body”.

“At this time we can confirm that Dustin does have cancer,” his team shared after the news broke. “Dustin will disclose more information once it is available and a plan moving forward is made.”

After the reveal, both Mario Lopez and Tiffani Thiessen have sent their well wishes to him, with Mario directly speaking with him.

“I connected with Dustin earlier this evening and although the news of his diagnosis is heartbreaking, we remain positive that he’ll overcome this,” Mario shared on his Instagram page with two photos of the two together. “Praying for him & his family and for a speedy recovery. God Bless.”

Tiffani posted a photo of Dustin on her Instagram Story and wrote, “Thinking of you Dustin.”

Dustin was the only member of the original Saved By The Bell cast to be left out of the new Saved By The Bell revival. His absence was explained though, and you can find out by watching on Peacock.

Eva Longoria and Mario Lopez make their way through the parking lot as they arrived separately for a business meeting on Tuesday (January 12) in West Hollywood, Calif.

The 45-year-old actress/director kept things casual in gray sweatsuit while the 47-year-old Saved by the Bell actor sported a black sweater and dark navy jeans for their meeting.

Eva was spotted staying safe in a face mask while Mario did not wear one as they chatted in the parking lot before making their way into the building.

Later that day, Mario shared a cute selfie with Eva on Instagram.

“Always great conversation when I catch up with this one…” Mario captioned the pic.

If you didn’t know, Eva and Mario have been close friends for years.

A rumor started swirling on social media earlier this week that a Desperate Housewives revival is in the works! Get the scoop here.

Mario Lopez is the latest celebrity to take on the role of KFC’s Colonel Sanders, but this time it’s for a mini-movie on Lifetime!

The 47-year-old actor will star in the mini-movie, which will premiere this weekend on the network.

Here’s the official summary for the film: “As the holidays draw near, a young heiress contends with the affections of a suitor handpicked by her mother. When the handsome chef, Harland Sanders, arrives with his secret fried chicken recipe and a dream, he sets in motion a series of events that unravels the mother’s devious plans. Will our plucky heiress escape to her wintry happily ever after with Harland at her side, or will she cave to the demands of family and duty?”

KFC U.S. CMO Andrea Zahumensky shared a statement about the funny parody movie: “We’re no strangers to heating things up for the holidays, just like our famous fried chicken-scented fire log. But let’s face it, we could all use a little distraction this holiday season, so why not fill some of your time at home with a suspenseful drama and the comfort of our world-famous fried chicken?”

Mario follows in the footsteps of other celebs like Rob Lowe, Sean Astin, George Hamilton, Reba McEntire and more in donning the famous chef’s look.

A Recipe for Seduction is a 15-minute branded content collaboration from Lifetime, KFC and agency Wieden+Kennedy Portland, and debuts on Lifetime on Sunday, December 13 at
12/11c.

Mario is currently starring in Peacock’s revival of Saved By The Bell.