From ”The Cosby Show” to the Diamond District,
getting fired from “SNL” was the best thing that ever happened to Adam Sandler.
Growing up, Adam Sandler was inspired by his close-knit family.
He always had an interest in comedy, and even used to perform impressions
of his own grandmother in front of her and his family. By the time he reached
his early adulthood, the actor had his eyes on NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.
While in college, Sandler worked doing standup at various comedy clubs in New York City,
though not everyone was convinced he had what it took to perform as an actor. In Variety's
"Actors on Actors," he sat down with fellow star Brad Pitt, who asked Sandler to confirm a story
he'd heard about him regarding a discouraging experience with a college professor. As it goes,
the professor took Sandler out for a beer and shared his opinion of the pupil's acting skills.
"And he- he kindly said to you-"
"Yes."
"'Think about something else."
"Exactly."
"Listen, you got heart, but you don't have it.'"
Pitt went on to describe the resolution - after Sandler had made it big he ran into
the professor at another bar, and as opposed to rubbing his success in the former teacher's face,
he introduced him to his friends and said -
"This is the only teacher to ever buy me a beer."
Shortly before graduating from NYU’s esteemed Tisch School of the Arts,
Adam Sandler landed a role on "The Cosby Show" as Smitty, the best friend of Theo Huxtable.
While Sandler only appeared in four episodes in the show's fourth season,
his onscreen presence and strong characterization of Smitty helped to establish him as an actor and
lay the foundation for the successful career he would have in the future. During his run on the
show, Sandler received advice from Cosby himself about not cursing as much as he was while he was
acting. He applied the advice to his later career, using minimal cursing in his films.
Just three years after his run on "The Cosby Show," and after
having a handful of small roles in various movies,
Adam Sandler secured the ultimate gig for any comedian - a role on "Saturday Night Live."
During his stint on "SNL," the comedian had many iconic roles and funny bits, which included a
recurring sketch with David Spade and Chris Farley called "Gap Girls" as well as a character called
"Canteen Boy," who would later inspire the Sandler flick "The Waterboy." Though Sandler's
contributions were well received at the time, his run would come to an end after five years.
"Why? Why do you push me away when all I wanna do is love you?"
According to the Daily Beast, Sandler parted ways with "SNL" in 1995 along with fellow
member and friend Chris Farley when the show decided to clean house, telling the outlet -
"We kind of quit at the same time as being fired. It was the end of the run
for us. [...] We were on it for a few years, had our run, and everything happens for a reason."
Movies are arguably what Adam Sandler is most recognized for, but his work making comedy
albums is also popular among fans, especially during the holiday season. The comedian wrote
and performed "The Thanksgiving Song" while he was a regular on "Saturday Night Live"
and it would later be released on his debut album "They're All Gonna Laugh At You!" in 1993.
The album was filled with songs and sketches as opposed to stand up material and leaned
into more adult humor that Sandler wasn't able to perform on 'SNL.'
"The Thanksgiving Song" helped enormously with the album's success. Despite being a
humorous song about the sometimes absurd spectacle of the Thanksgiving holiday,
Sandler's song was a hit among listeners and it even spent two weeks at the number
37 spot on the Billboard Active Rock chart in December 1998.
His other holiday hit "The Chanukah Song" reached listeners everywhere,
and like its predecessor, debuted on "Saturday Night Live." In the song, the comedian talks
about the overbearing nature of Christmastime and how it can be particularly hard for Jewish people.
Sandler released the song two years later on the album "What the Hell Happened to
Me?" which peaked at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in January 1999.
Both of Sandler's comedy albums have sold over two million copies and are certified double platinum.
Adam Sandler's departure from "SNL" didn't discourage him from pursuing a career in comedy.
The same year he left the series, Sandler co-wrote and starred in the comedy classic "Billy Madison."
He followed that up the next year with another hit "Happy Gilmore",
once again pulling double duty by co-writing and starring. Both films were
incredibly successful at the time, and helped Sandler soar further in the movie industry.
By the late 1990s, Sandler decided to start his own production company,
creating Happy Madison Productions in 1999 after producing both "The Waterboy" and "Big Daddy."
The first film officially under the company's belt was 1999's "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo."
While Sandler's films have not always been highly regarded by the industry's critics,
they nonetheless have become fan favorites over the years and garnered billions in revenue.
According to The Numbers, Happy Madison Productions has produced
nearly 50 films over 20 years, and as of 2022, it has totaled $3.9 billion in revenue.
While Adam Sandler may be one of the biggest comedians in the film industry, unlike some of
his celebrity peers, he keeps personal and romantic life relatively private. According
to the Daily Mail, the actor met model Jackie Titone while filming the 1999 comedy "Big Daddy."
In the film, Titone appears as a waitress in a scene that lasts less than 30 seconds,
but her presence was enough to make an impression on Sandler. In 2020,
the "Happy Gilmore" star shared pictures on Instagram of the pair together from
around the time they first met and revealed they had an instant connection, writing -
"22 years ago today we locked eyes and fell deep.
Look forward to the next 22, young lady. Love you my forever girl."
The couple married in June 2003 and People reported that prior to their religious ceremony,
Titone converted to Judaism. Three years after they tied the knot, the pair had their
first child, a daughter named Sadie in 2006, followed by a daughter named Sunny in 2008.
After meeting Sandler, Titone continued to act in a number of his films,
including "Little Nicky" and "Murder Mystery."
While his career has mainly centered around humorous fare, Sandler has not
shied away from taking on heavier roles in drama films. In 2002, he starred in Paul
Thomas Anderson's "Punch-Drunk Love." The movie centers around Sandler's Barry Egan,
a man whose life gets turned upside down after he makes a call to a phone sex line. Sandler brings
his comedic edge to "Punch-Drunk Love," but also delivers a complex, emotional performance
that instantly drew in viewers and garnered a certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The actor continued to dominate the comedy movie genre in the 2000s,
but he returned to drama in the 2007 film "Reign Over Me." The movie follows estranged friends
Sandler's Charlie Fineman and Don Cheadle's Alan Johnson as they deal with the former losing his
family in the September 11 attacks. The feature earned a fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with
critics praising Sandler's intimate, complicated portrayal of a man stuck in his own grief.
Sandler's role in the 2019 film "Uncut Gems" received widespread acclaim, and in 2020,
the actor won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead.
In 2014, Sandler signed a huge deal with Netflix that would have him make four films and get
$250 million for his work. While his films on Netflix have not always received good reviews
from critics, they have remained loved by fans of Sandler's work and the deal was renewed in 2017.
In 2019, he starred in the Netflix film "Murder Mystery" alongside actor Jennifer Aniston,
which at the time became the most popular movie on the streaming platform in the United States,
and among the most popular around the world.
Because of the incredible success of "Murder Mystery," Insider reported that he secured yet
another deal extension with Netflix in 2020, agreeing to make an additional four movies.
Since signing the deal, the actor and producer has
since released "Hubie Halloween," and "Hustle," on the streaming service.
Throughout his professional career, Adam Sandler has formed a number of
friendships with other stars. And those friendships have stood the test of time.
While Sandler was on "SNL," he became good pals with fellow cast members
David Spade and Rob Schneider, both of whom have appeared in a lot of Sandler
movies. Sandler has also produced some of their biggest hits, such as Schneider's,
"Deuce Bigalow," movies or Spade's 2001 film, "Joe Dirt." In a 2020 interview on Rob Lowe's podcast,
Spade touched on just how close the two are when it comes to professional collaborations, saying -
"I've probably only been in about 40 [Adam Sandler movies],
I mean, I sort of come in the fine print, you know what I mean?"
Another buddy and frequent co-star of Sandler's is actor Drew Barrymore. The two first worked
together on 1998's "The Wedding Singer," and have stayed friends while making other movies over the
years, including "50 First Dates" and "Blended." According to People, when Barrymore presented
Sandler with an award at the 2020 National Board of Review Annual Awards Gala, she said,
"You deserve the best, you give the best, and you are the best. I love you very much."
Thanks to his various acting roles, writing gigs, and film production work,
this "Saturday Night Live" alum has raked in a lot of dough over the course of his career.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, as of 2022, Adam Sandler is worth a whopping $420 million,
with a fixed $20 million salary per each of his movies. It's a far cry
from the $1.7 million he made for "Billy Madison" and "Happy Gilmore."
The exact number Sandler earns for each of his roles depends on the film and its
distribution company. Forbes reported in 2020 that his deal with Netflix helped to
boost his income significantly, while his part in "Uncut Gems" paid him $5 million.
Per Newsweek, Adam Sandler has become one of the richest actors in the world.