Highlights
- Adam Sandler admits to being a nightmare to work with during his time on Saturday Night Live.
- Despite his difficult behavior, Sandler formed close bonds with his SNL castmates.
- Sandler has since grown and matured, becoming calmer, more patient, and appreciative of others' talent.
Just like every other celebrity, Adam Sandler has some people who dislike him. However, Sandler definitely has developed a reputation as being supremely likable in general. After all, Sandler has millions of fans who watch everything he is in, and he has loads of rich and famous friends.
No matter if Sandler seems to be lovable now, it seems like that wasn't necessarily always the case. According to Sandler himself, he could be a nightmare to work with back when he was still starring in Saturday Night Live.
Why Was Adam Sandler Hard To Work With On Saturday Night Live?
When Adam Sandler was only 23 years old, he was hired to be a writer on Saturday Night Live. The following year, Sandler got a raise as he became a member of the sketch comedy show's cast and he continued to serve as a writer.
When a lot of people are in their early to mid-twenties, that can be a tough time. After all, people in that age range sometimes think they are old enough to know it all, but in reality, they haven't gained a lot of wisdom yet.
During that period in Sandler's life, he also had to cope with the pressures of Saturday Night Live. Suddenly thrust in front of the masses, who can be incredibly harsh critics, Sandler also had to deal with how competitive Saturday Night Live can be behind the scenes.
Who Are Adam Sandler's Best Friends From his Saturday Night Live days according to Entertainment Weekly?
- Rob Schneider
- Chris Rock
- David Spade
- Robert Smigel
- Chris Farley
- Kevin Nealon
Given the position that Sandler found himself in, it would be somewhat understandable if he struggled to make friends. However, it has become extremely well known that Sandler became extremely close with many of his SNL castmates.
Even though he created very tight bonds with his SNL peers, it turns out that Sandler was a nightmare back then. At least, according to what he told the AARP in 2022, Sandler was a pain to deal with due to his ego and a lack of patience.
When Sandler was interviewed by the AARP, he was asked about how he has changed since he starred in SNL during his twenties. Based on Sandler's response, he is a lot easier to be around now than he was during his earlier days.
"I’m calmer than I used to be. I used to go nuts. I had a quick temper, quick reactions. I made a lot of dumb mistakes and said a lot of stupid things."
On top of Sandler explaining the personality flaws he had back then, he went on to discuss how his relationships were affected.
"Looking back on relationships, I could be an ass. I was selfish. I was competitive with other comedians and stuff. My father would say, 'That guy’s funny,' and I would say, 'Hey, I’m funny, blah, blah,' and he’d be, like, 'Why can’t you both be funny?'"
Sandler also talked about how ambitious he was during his Saturday Night Live tenure. Now that Sandler has gotten older and matured, he can see how that ambition clouded his vision at times back then. Thankfully, Sandler also explained that he has been able to become more patient as he has aged even though he is still far from perfect.
"Because I was hungry, I didn’t always see clearly then. I wanted to be a big comedian like Eddie Murphy, like Rodney Dangerfield. I’m still a nut. I still get anxious. If things are taking too long, if I’m waiting downstairs for my wife to get dressed, I’m, like, 'What the hell’s going on up there?'"
Sandler continued, "You see me and go, 'Jeez, how many moods is this guy going to have today?' But in general, I’ve gotten much better at life as I’ve gotten older."
As a comedic actor, Sandler has been known for his manic energy at times. As a result, what Sandler told the AARP next may surprise a lot of his fans. According to Sandler, he made the healthy decision to speak to someone to get the tools to deal with things.
"Well, I talk to a shrink sometimes. He’s given me a plan. Sometimes just holding in a sentence, taking a beat for a minute before saying something stupid. When I do that, I realize it wasn’t that important to say it in the first place, and I don’t spend two hours making everyone around me feel weirdness for no reason. I’m also better at appreciation."
Sandler continued, "I appreciate other people’s talent now rather than competing with it — in every field, in every sport, every part of showbiz. A lot of young comedians, a lot of the new cast on SNL, they just make me laugh now. I’ll watch somebody and say, 'Man, they’re great. I never would have thought of that joke or that approach.' Or my kids will throw on some fresh song or podcast and I’ll go, 'That’s so cool.'"
Why Did Adam Sandler Leave Saturday Night Live?
Throughout the early '90s, Adam Sandler was a staple of Saturday Night Live's writing staff and then its cast. All of that changed in 1995, when Sandler exited the show, much to the surprise of many people. Not only did Sandler leave the show at the time, Chris Farley departed as well.
Over the years, there has been a lot of discussion about what led to Sandler's SNL exit. Based on a lot of discussions about that subject, many fans came to believe that Sandler was fired from Saturday Night Live.
How long did Adam Sandler work on Saturday Night Live according to Entertainment Weekly?
Adam Sandler's SNL Tenure | |
As a writer: | 1990 - 1995 |
As a star | 1991 - 1995 |
Considering that Sandler told the AARP that he had a bad attitude when he worked on SNL, it would make sense if he was fired. However, when Sandler spoke to The Hollywood Reporter in 2023, he clarified what happened.
According to Sandler's comments, he and Farley weren't fired. However, the bosses let the duo know that it would be a good idea if they quit.
"It was kind of like them asking us to quit. There were new people at the network, and apparently they didn’t like me and Chris, so they kind of said goodbye to us in a nice way. Lorne was great to us, he wanted to protect us."
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