The Sad Truth About Lark Voorhies’ Life Story

Lark Voorhies played the beautiful and bubbly character Lisa Turtle on the popular sitcom, Saved by the Bell. She was every teenage boy’s crush and her career was expected to reach the next level after the show came to an end. However, as meteoric as her star rose, it came crashing down as Lark’s life entered a dark period. Her life began to unravel in the public eye and everybody wanted to know why.

Here’s the sad truth about Lark Voorhies’ life. 

Her early years

Born Lark Holloway on March 25, 1974, in Nashville, Tennessee, Lark was the only child of Tricia and Wayne Holloway. Her parents divorced when she was only 11 months old, According to People, her parents divorced when she was only 11 months old. At the age of two, she and her mom moved to Pasadena, Calif. And when Lark turned 12, she was ready to make her mark on the industry. Her mom told People magazine, “When Lark got on the stage […] a whole different side of her came alive.”

After appearing in a nationwide commercial for Universal Studios, she went on to appear in TV shows, such as the 80s sitcom Small Wonder. Her big break came when she was cast as Lisa Turtle on the Disney Channel’s show Good Morning, Miss Bliss. The coming-of-age middle school show ran from 1988 to 1989 and soon transitioned into Saved by the Bell. According to  Lifetime’s The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story,  the character Lisa Turtle was supposed to be a “Jewish American princess,” but Lark obviously made a great impression and turned the role into her own. 

Her performance as the wealthy, boy-crazy teenager won everyone over. And as much fun as she appeared to be having on-screen, Lark told The Dr. Oz Show that her time on the sitcom was like spending time with family. She even said her time on the show was some of the happiest moments of her childhood.

‘Bizarre,’ low-key and pretty

But her co-star Dustin Diamond, who played the character Screech, gave a different version of Lark’s time on the show. In his memoir entitled Behind the Bell, Dustin said the only time he heard her speak was when she had lines for the show. Dustin went on to describe her as “bizarre,” but very low-key and pretty. Dustin concluded Lark most likely kept to herself because of her strict faith as a Jehovah’s Witness. 

When Saved by the Bell was winding down, Dustin said Lark got a bit more comfortable with the rest of the cast and even entered a relationship with the actor who played Zack Morris. And when the show ended, she made guest appearances on other popular sitcoms, like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and was cast in Days of Our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful. She even reprised her role as Lisa Turtle in various Saved by the Bell spin-offs.  

A rocky romance with Martin Lawrence

In 1993, she appeared on season one of Martin. She also began dating the star of the show, comedian Martin Lawrence. According to People magazine, they got engaged in 1993, but it wouldn’t last. So what went wrong? Dustin Diamond spilled all the tea in his memoir.

Dustin wrote that Lark and Martin’s relationship ended when Martin went on the Arsenio Hall Show and announced he planned to marry someone else. When Dustin met up with Lark sometime after the end of their relationship to record audio for the Saved by the Bell DVD, he noticed something wasn’t right. Even though Lark was never outgoing to begin with, he said she had retreated even further inside her shell.

Dustin noted that Lark would flinch whenever a man was near her or whenever a man’s voice was projected toward her. And she would rock back and forth, mumbling to herself as if she were in her own little world. Many assumed this meant Lark experienced something unthinkable during her relationship with Martin.

Now, if this seems too far fetched, we understand. But in 2016, Lark went on an Instagram rant to expose male entertainers in the industry. She also exposed Martin by reposting a synopsis from Dustin’s book.

 

Hours later, the post was deleted, and an image of Lark as an angel was posted along with a caption that her account had been hacked. 

 

Stressful times

Even though she found moderate success following her time on Saved by the Bell, her mom told People magazine that with Lark’s career stalled after the show ended. Her mom added: “There was a lot of stress with that.”

But, things seemed to be looking up for Lark in 1996 when she married a man named Miguel Coleman. Sadly, their relationship was reportedly really messy, and they split in 2001. According to People magazine, Lark said the divorce was “a source of great depression.”

From then on, Lark began to show signs that her world was unraveling.

Drug abuse allegations

 

With Lark largely out of the public eye by 2002 and seemingly vanished, rumors began to emerge that something was up. When she did appear in public, people couldn’t help but notice she looked and acted differently. 

The National Enquirer ran an explosive piece in 2005, accusing Lark of using substances. According to TMZ, Lark filed a suit, accusing the gossip magazine of libel. She said their allegation “cost her several acting jobs, invaded her privacy, and caused her humiliation, embarrassment, hurt feelings, mental anguish, and suffering.” She even had her doctor submit a letter a month after the article was printed to declare that she was sober.

By 2006, Lark had dropped the suit against The Enquirer, which many people found suspicious. TMZ reported that her lawyer confirmed the allegations were still untrue, but the matter had been resolved.

Was she diagnosed with bipolar disorder?

Things really hit the fan in May 2012 after Lark appeared on The Yo Show wearing red curly hair and some interesting makeup. Once again, people assumed the star was dabbling in substances, and People magazine added fuel to the fire by stating Lark had been behaving oddly during their interviews. They wrote that Lark “would frequently stop mid-sentence and stare off, often mumbling to herself or to others who weren’t there.”

Her mom r(pictured above) eleased a statement to People magazine, claiming the actress had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. And Lark, who was living with her mom at the time, clapped back in a statement of her own. She said she wasn’t sick and was keeping herself busy by appearing in low-budget projects, recording music and self-publishing her own books. When People mag asked her about her odd behavior, Lark said, “I have a strong spiritual sense. You caught me in moments of prayer.” 

She did admit to the magazine that she’s at “war with herself,” but explained, “We met at a very powerful moment. It’s like carrying on the interview in a hurricane.”

As much as Lark said nothing was wrong, the more people could tell things weren’t okay. She continued to show up to interviews speaking incoherently and often had a blank or teary-eyed look. 

In a 2012 Entertainment Tonight interview, Lark had an especially hard time articulating herself, but strongly denied she was battling mental health issues. And in a 2013 interview on Inside Edition, she attempted to deny rumors once again. As strange as things were, they continued to get even stranger.

Another dramatic relationship

In 2014, Lark met a man named Jimmy Green via Facebook. According to Washington Post, she and Jimmy, who’s ten years younger than her, had a commitment ceremony in April 2015, followed by a May 2015 wedding ceremony at Las Vegas wedding chapel. 

In a statement, Lark said they were so happy together. She added, “I look forward to all the wonderful moments and memories we will create together.” So what could possibly go wrong?

Things took a turn for the worse when Jimmy was sought by the police for an incident dating back to 2012 in Tucson, Arizona. According to TMZ, Jimmy tried to return a cell phone but the owner refused to take it back. He reportedly got mad and threatened to “break the store.” He was wanted for disorderly conduct and threatening to intimidate.

After the report surfaced, he defended himself to E! News by saying it was just a misdemeanor and everything had been blown out of proportion. He also reassured everyone that he and Lark’s marriage was rock solid.

A restraining order & a divorce

Well, that rock began to crumble. Lark was still living with her mom after tying the knot. Lark’s mom made a deal with Jimmy, and he agreed to leave their home every night in order to catch the last bus back to his home. Instead, she would catch him asleep in the house. She even found him snoozing in a closet one time. During one incident where she tried to get him to leave, Lark’s mom accused Jimmy of throwing up gang signs at her. According to TMZ, Lark’s mom was granted a restraining order, and Jimmy was told to stay at least 100 yards away from her and her home.

Jimmy later admitted to TMZ that he was a gang member, but he didn’t have it out for Lark’s mom. He just thought she was trying too hard to control every aspect of the actress’s life. 

So how would Lark and Jimmy’s marriage survive if he wasn’t able to go to the home she shared with her mom? Well, six months after tying the knot, she filed for divorce.

She proceeded to air Jimmy out on Instagram in a series of since-deleted posts. Lark claimed Jimmy was too broke to help pay for the divorce. She also claimed his privates smelled like corn chips. Later, someone wrote on Lark’s behalf that her Instagram had been hacked once again.

She was diagnosed with Schizoaffective Thought Disorder 

Lark was supposed to appear on Dr. Oz in 2018, but the TV doc said it was clear she needed help and care. In a pre-interview conducted by his staff, the actress’s behavior was concerning, so the televised interview didn’t happen. 

It took two years, but Lark finally appeared on the show in 2020, ready to speak out on her mental health for the first time publicly. She was joined by her mom and psychiatrist. Lark announced that her official diagnosis is schizoaffective thought disorder, which causes her to have trouble expressing her thoughts due to the “competing voices in her head.” At one point, she was even afraid to leave her home.

What’s next for Lark Voorhies?

In 2019, it was announced that NBC’s streaming platform, Peacock, would include a reboot of Saved by the Bell. The actors who played Zack, A.C. Slater and Jesse will appear in the revival, but Lisa was snubbed. She told Dr. Oz she felt hurt that she was left out. She added, “I also realized that having this puzzling disorder may have played a major part in that factual decision.”

Lark is optimistic that she’ll get her time in the spotlight again and she’s more than willing to appear in future projects. We wish her the best and can’t wait to see her back on our TV screens.

Let us know if you’re surprised by what happened to Lark Voorhies and thanks for watching Real Reality Gossip.