Dustin “Screech” Diamond reveals what it was like in jail.
Dustin Diamond is working hard on a comeback. The Saved By The Bell actor just finished up a three-month sentence in jail that brought him renewed fame and a ton of lawyer fees. Speaking with Saved by the Bell co-star Mario Lopez on Extra, Diamond insisted that he’s finally putting the “tomfoolery and malarkey” behind him.
Related: Dustin Diamond is Facing One Entire Year in Prison
“It’s pretty daunting, it’s pretty scary going into that environment,” Diamond told Lopez when asked about jail. “I found that as long as you follow the rules and stay with the system, it works. You can get in and out unscathed.”
Dustin Diamond was found guilty of disorderly conduct and carrying a concealed weapon following a bar fight in 2014, a fight that started with a selfie request and lead to a brutal exchange. “One of the girl’s friends [Amanda] was talking to sucker-punched my fiancée… she leaned back to me and her face was covered in blood,” Diamond said. Another man joined the dispute by grabbing Amanda’s hair, which prompted Diamond to leap into protection mode. “I opened my pocket knife and said, ‘Let my wife go immediately,’ which worked,” he said. As for any alleged stabbing, Diamond tells a different story. Diamond says he simply “nicked his arm” on the tip of his knife when he grabbed Diamond by the throat. “It was a Band-Aid,” Diamond said. “The most expensive Band-Aid I’ve ever bought.”
Related: Screech is Now Serving 4 Months in Jail
Diamond also explained that he’s trying to clear up his previous controversies and past including a sex-tape and tell-all book. “Imagine how I feel, I haven’t talked to Marc Paul or Elizabeth or Tiffani in ages, so I can’t imagine what they think, and I’m hoping this will clear it up,” he said. “It wasn’t me, I didn’t write this. I was just as shocked and appalled.”
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