Dustin Diamond at the Park City Film Festival in 2007

Screech (aka Dustin Diamond) has become a pariah amongst the former castmates of Saved by the Bell. Why? Because he's a fucking asshole, that's why. People magazine reunited all the former stars of the show this week for a cover story, but Diamond was noticeably absent. From the Chicago Sun Times:

Led by actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar, the rest of the former teen TV hit show troop was unanimous in blackballing Diamond. It mostly stems from his upcoming tell-all book about his co-stars and the show, but a source close to the other cast members says, "It's also because Dustin is such a loser and an embarrassment to everybody."

Among the reasons listed are Diamond's infamous sex tape scandal, his widely reported financial problems and his "acting like such a horrible jerk" on "The Celebrity Fit Club."

Word has it, thanks to various cast members' public comments -- including Gosselaar's trashing of Diamond to Newsweek magazine -- "Screech" is talking to lawyers about a possible defamation lawsuit. "I don't think anyone has anything to worry about," said my source. "That lawsuit's not going anywhere."

How can People not include Dustin Diamond in their reunion? Saved by the Bell without Screech is like Family Matters without Urkel or a Hometown Buffet without Jonah Hill. Besides, Dustin isn't the only one from that show that's gone on to completely embarrass themselves -- Elizabeth Berkeley took her clothes off in Showgirls and even worse, Mario Lopez actually appeared on Dancing with the Stars.

[Flynet]