Adam Sandler became a household name because of his contributions to the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live, but he almost made the mistake of not taking the job. It’s difficult to imagine SNL without Sandler, so it’s a huge blessing that he gave it a shot in his early 20s.
At the time, he wanted to become an actor. When he had the opportunity to try his luck at writing for SNL, he was apprehensive. He badly wanted to be that movie star he dreamed of. Turns out, fate had a different plan for him.
Adam Sandler Was Hesitant To Join Saturday Night Live
While speaking at the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, actor and comedian Adam Sandler revealed he never planned to be on Saturday Night Live at the beginning of his career.
I didn’t even know. I thought I wanted to be a movie star. I was cocky and telling my friends in college I’m going to be a f—king movie star. They’d be like, ‘Why? Why would you be a movie star? Look at you.’ I’d be like, ‘You don’t get it, man.’
He worked in the show from 1990 to 1995, although he already had a couple of movie and television projects before that. “I thought I was good-looking, too,” he joked, before adding his realization that he’s a normal-looking guy “but I thought there was something f—king attractive about me that people are going to be like, ‘That’s a f—king stud right there.’”
His colleagues were pushing him to join SNL but he was hesitant. “I kind of want to get in the movies and they were like – and my buddies are like – ‘You should do SNL’… Well, I wasn’t sure…”
Sandler revealed the reason he wouldn’t go for it is because he’s “not a writer so why am I going to become a writer? It doesn’t make any sense. I’m not even that f—king good at that.” He was only 23 when he landed the job. “That was big. That’s as cool as it gets,” he mused. “It was, all of a sudden, it became like you were in a rock band.”
Adam Sandler Became Successful After His Stint In SNL
Sandler still pursued his dream of becoming a movie star, but the difference was that the projects he made after his tenure in SNL were more recognized than the ones he did before he entered the comedy show.
Some of his notable movie projects include Happy Gilmore (1996), The Wedding Singer (1998), Punch-Drunk Love (2002), Uncut Gems (2019), and Hustle (2022).
In 2019, he returned to SNL for his first-ever hosting gig in the show. He was joined by musical guest Shawn Mendes. Fans recall how he was unceremoniously fired from the show due to NBC executives growing tired of him. It did not hold him back from getting future jobs, though; in fact, his experience there became the springboard to his success as a comedian.
Saturday Night Live is available to watch on NBC.
