Dustin Diamond's love life: Ex-wife Jennifer Misner to fiancée Amanda Schutz and abusive past with Beth Musolff
Lovingly remembered for his character Samuel “Screech” Powers, Dustin Diamond died on February 1, 2021. The ‘Saved by the Bell’ franchise actor was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer three weeks ago and was receiving treatments at a Florida hospital. He was 44.
Roger Paul, his manager, stated carcinoma as the cause of death and added, “Dustin did not suffer. He did not have to lie submerged in pain. For that, we are grateful.” In a heartbreaking tribute on his Facebook page, his team wrote: “He was diagnosed with this brutal, relentless form of malignant cancer only three weeks ago. In that time, it managed to spread rapidly throughout his system; the only mercy it exhibited was its sharp and swift execution.”
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Shedding light on his role as Screech for 13 years in shows like ‘Good Morning, Miss Bell’, ‘Saved by the Bell: The New Class’, and ‘Saved By the Bell: The College Years’, the message read, “Dustin Diamond was a character in and of himself: an unpredictable spitfire who always left us shocked, but never left us bored. We are thankful he trusted us enough to share his genuine, authentic self with our team. We wish you knew him in the way that we did... This loss is as much stinging as it is sudden.”
Born in San Jose, California, to a Jewish family, Diamond was raised by his father who taught digital electronics for a computer-processing firm and his mother who was a computer operator for Pacific Bell. Talking about how life turned out after he started acting at an early age, the comedian said, “The hardest thing about being a child star is giving up your childhood. You don't get a childhood, really.” As millions of fans mourn the star, let's take a look at his love life and who he was dating.
Beth Musolff
Dustin Diamond dated Beth Musolff from 2002 to 2005. In an explosive interview with Daily Mail, she later revealed an incident where he once pulled a knife on her in a fit of rage and threatened to push her from a hotel balcony.
Calling him “abusive” and “paranoid”, Musolff said, “I was not surprised when I saw photos of Dustin in court and a knife attack was mentioned. When we were together he always carried a knife on him, saying it was for his own safety. I always worried that he would use it one day when he flipped into a rage. Dustin is a very paranoid person, and just thinks the worst of people.”
The mom-of-two — who moved in together with Diamond six months after meeting in a bar close to her family home — added, “It made him very angry and aggressive when we were out in public, and I experienced moments where I feared he was going to become violent. His behavior stems from a long-term issue that he thinks that everybody is out to get him. He was very verbally aggressive to me during times in our relationship and it was so unpredictable - you never knew what would set him off.”
Jennifer Misner
Dustin Diamond locked eyes with his longtime girlfriend much before they decided to tie the knot. In 2009, the two got married but it only lasted for four years. In an interview, a cheery-looking Diamond flaunted his wedding ring and said after three years of his marriage, “Happy life, happy wife, my friend.”
The pair decided to part ways in 2013. Post his split, Diamond's home in Port Washington was put up for sale in 2020 before he relocated to Florida.
Not many people know that Misner was pregnant in 2004 and suffered a miscarriage. If reports are to be believed, the miscarriage was the result of an ectopic pregnancy. Going by Misner's LinkedIn profile, she works in sales and marketing and is currently the “Director Sales & Marketing” at Holiday Inn Express - Altoona, PA.
Amanda Schutz
Love knocked on Diamond's door again in 2014 when he briefly exchanged rings with Amanda Schutz. A former business owner for a clown company, the 33-year-old was known as Loli Pop the clown and specialized in “providing interactive entertainment, face painting, balloon twisting and more” according to a since-deleted company website.
Did you know she once made an appearance on ‘The Real Housewives of New York City’? Going by old reports, she studied theater at a college in Staten Island, New York, and later relocated to Wisconsin. The pair reportedly got involved in a scandal and were arrested after a bar fight ensued at a Wisconsin saloon.
On December 26, 2014, Diamond was arrested in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, for possession of a switchblade knife. Reports said that he had pulled the weapon out during the bar altercation where a man was stabbed. Meanwhile, his former fiancée was charged for disorderly conduct. According to The Sun, Diamond was sentenced to four months in prison but was released after serving three.
Diamond was not reported to be dating anyone in his last days. In 2006, a controversial sex tape titled ‘Screeched – Saved by the Smell’ surfaced online and sparked much backlash.
Earlier, he claimed that the video was leaked after a “monthly gathering” wherein his buddies exchanged such tapes to analyze “what [we’re] able to accomplish” on the tapes. “We do it almost like poker. [The tape] could have been left out in anybody’s home, machine, computer. The people that are involved in this group [of friends who exchange tapes] are all ‘profile people,’” he said at the time. Later, he clarified that his penis was fake in the video.