Lark Voorhies played Lisa Turtle on the well-loved 90's show Saved By The Bell.
Like so many other 90's hits, the show is seeing a reboot.
It's rumored that most of the original cast will be returning.
That doesn't include Lark. Despite Lisa being a central character to the show, Lark was not asked back for the reboot and she's ready to talk about why.
For years there has been talk about Lark potentially having mental health struggles. The talk really kicked off a few years after the original run of Saved By The Bell ended.
Lark did an interview with People that has been described as bizarre and incoherent.
Lark's mother, Tricia, was there during the interview and explained that Lark had been traumatized by events in her past and was also struggling with bipolar disorder. Lark spent a fair portion of the interview mumbling to herself, talking to people that weren't there and struggling to finish her sentences and thoughts—often trailing off and staring blankly instead.
For those who need to refresh their memory, here's Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle.
For years Lark denied any mental health issues, despite a few public incidents and her mother's insistence.
It seems she may be ready to actually talk about it. Lark spoke out on an episode of Dr. Oz.
She read some of her journal entries—including one that talked about how "slighted and hurt" she felt about not being included in the Saved By The Bell reboot. The entry mentions "having this puzzling disorder."
Dr. Oz shared a portion of the clip on Twitter as a teaser for the show...
...and followed that up with a clip featuring Lark's mother as well.
The two women talk about Lark's struggles and her mother's feelings as she has helped her daughter. It would seem like Lark is finally ready to talk openly about her mental health issues.
Here's the second clip.
During the episode, we learn that Lark had actually been slated to appear on the Dr. Oz show two years earlier, but Dr. Oz and his team determined that it was clear she was still unwell. He connected her with a local psychiatrist and tracked her progress.
Lark Voorhies was diagnosed with schizoaffective thought disorder.
She struggles with hearing voices in her head and with expressing herself. Those struggles lead to unpredictable behavior, fear, anxiety and more.
You can catch a short snippet of that interview here.
During the show, Lark struggles to form her sentences and sometimes seems to stumble and grasp for words, but she does eventually get things out.
She explains that she feels like her Saved By The Bell cast mates shunned her and that it hurts to not be involved in the reboot, any of the reunions, or the social lives they still have together and post about on social media. She says her undiagnosed and untreated mental health struggles may have been a factor in that shunning.
After the episode, Twitter had a lot to say.
It's clear Lark has people's support.
Perhaps showrunners will find at least some small way to include her if her mental health doesn't allow for her full participation.
