After the success of 2010’s Grown Ups, Adam Sandler released his first-ever sequel, so it's odd that star Rob Schneider didn't return for Grown Ups 2. Schneider began his career as a writer and actor on Saturday Night Live and has an extensive filmography, including his breakout role in Home Alone 2 and the 1999 comedy Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo. Most popular, however, are Schneider’s many roles in Sandler’s films, spanning from 1998’s The Waterboy to 2020’s Hubie Halloween.
Schneider also starred in Grown Ups as Rob Hilliard, a hippie friend of Sandler’s character Lenny Feder. Also starring in the movie are Kevin James, Chris Rock, and David Spade, the latter two of whom worked with Sandler and Schneider on SNL in the early '90s, forming the “Bad Boys of SNL” alongside Chris Farley. Having worked together for so long and with most of the original cast reprising their roles, it came as a surprise when Schneider passed on Sandler’s Grown Ups 2.
Schneider previously shared he couldn’t participate in filming because of scheduling conflicts with his then-CBS sitcom Rob. The show was canceled after one season; however, had it been renewed, Schneider wouldn’t have been available to shoot Grown Ups 2. Schneider also blamed a lack of pay, stating “They’re doing Grown Ups 2 without me. Mistake. They should have paid me a lot of money,” (via Vulture). Furthermore, given this was the fourth Sandler movie in a row that Schneider had not appeared in, theories of a rift between the actors began circulating. The aforementioned reasons, paired with Schneider becoming a new father in 2012 and dedicating more attention to his stand-up, are likely all contributing factors to him not returning for Grown Ups 2.
Why Rob Schneider Is In So Many Adam Sandler Movies
Schneider and Sandler became friends in the 1980s on the stand-up gig circuit. Sandler regularly collaborates with his friends, particularly the “Bad Boys of SNL” crew of Schneider, Rock, and Spade. It's been rumored that during their SNL days, the group had a pact that if any of them rose to fame, they would help the others get roles (via Quora). Sandler is arguably the most famous of the group in terms of how much he works, and, as he owns Happy Madison Productions, he also has the means to bring his long-time friends in on his projects. Plus, the group probably has a lot of fun working together.
Every Rob Schneider & Adam Sandler Movie
Dating back to their SNL days, Rob Schneider and Adam Sandler have worked together in comedy for over 30 years. While Adam Sandler’s movies often feature his famous friends and even sometimes family, none of them have as many credits in his movies as Schneider. Schneider has starred in several movies produced by Sandler, though it’s his appearances as Sandler’s co-star in 15 films that make the two such a legendary pair. Here is every movie starring Rob Schneider and Adam Sandler:
- The Waterboy (1998)
- Big Daddy (1999)
- Little Nicky (2000)
- Eight Crazy Nights (2002)
- Mr. Deeds (2002)
- 50 First Dates (2004)
- The Longest Yard (2005)
- Click (2006)
- I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007)
- Bedtime Stories (2008)
- You Don't Mess With The Zohan (2008)
- Grown Ups (2010)
- The Ridiculous 6 (2015)
- Sandy Wexler (2017)
- Netflix’s Hubie Halloween (2020)
It seems like scheduling conflicts and a pay dispute were the main reasons that Rob Schneider did not return for Adam Sandler’s Grown Ups 2. Since then, Schneider has only appeared in three other Sandler movies. Less output during the pandemic could be partly to blame, or even that Sandler started taking on dramatic projects like Hustle or Spaceman, which is currently in post-production. After also moving to Arizona with his family, it seems Schneider may just be taking a step back from Hollywood and dedicating his time to more personal commitments.