When he was barely 19 years old, actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar sacked his mother Paula as his manager. Mark-Paul Gosselaar gained recognition as Zack Morris on Saved By The Bell.

Years ago, Mark-Paul Gosselaar fired his mother.

In an interview with Scott Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter, the Dutch-American actor discussed why he fired his mother as his manager.

Gosselaar stated that having parents in charge of children was common while he was growing up. That is what also occurred to the actor, he continued.

However, the issue arose when the Saved By The Bell actor realized he was missing out on opportunities due to his mother’s poor management skills.

He said that although he was missing out on meetings and auditions, his fellow actor friends were receiving professional assistance and strategic possibilities from their managers.

The actor, who was 19 at the time, had had enough and dismissed his mother. The fact that his mother was a parent rather than a professional made his work simpler and more controllable, which is why he fired her.

The actor often made positive comments about his family and formative years. However, he experienced some significant problems with his parents as he began to monitor and regulate his career-related actions.

The actor broke up communication with them after his 1996 marriage to former model Lisa Ann Russell due to differences around money and his profession. Russell, his wife, had a different viewpoint and opted not to pass judgment on his parents since in her opinion, they did a great job of raising him.

His mother Paula expressed her sorrow to People in 1998 in response to her son’s actions.

Have Mark-Paul Gosselaar and His Mother Made Up?

Including his mother, wife, and kids, Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Photo credit: Paula Gosselaar’s Facebook)

More than 20 years have passed since the Gosselaar family conflict. However, it appeared from the actor’s mother’s Facebook posts that his relationship with his parents had changed.

The actor spoke positively about his mother and said that they had put their past disagreements behind them in a video that was posted on September 30, 2015, on the YouTube channel The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Thinking back to “Saved by the Bell”

The actor reflected on his experience on Saved by the Bell and his “undeniable on-screen chemistry with fellow cast member Leah Remini” in a July 2021 episode of the Zack to the Future podcast. Gosselaar stated that while there was a link between Tiffani and the supporters who were on Team Zack and Kelly, Remini and he had the most chemistry.

Gosselaar concluded by saying, “In my perspective, not a single individual that Zack comes into touch with has the connection that you and I did.