This Is Why Women Keep Working With Adam Sandler

Upon Netflix’s release of Happy Gilmore 2, we’re reminded of Adam Sandler’s prolific nearly-40 year career.

After graduating from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, he propelled his career as an actor and comedian through joining the staff of Saturday Night Live. He became a household name through musical comedy with his songs, “The Chanukah Song” and “The Thanksgiving Song” and rose to leading man status in 1995 with Billy Madison.

From there, Adam became synonymous with a style of goofball filmmaking in which he wrote, produced, and starred as a flawed schlubby guy who somehow always gets the girl. He has a dream career for many comedians and actors, making and starring in whatever he wants and repeatedly working with a loyal group of goofball friends. But some people have criticized his films as dumb, with misogynist, racist, and homophobic humor at times.

Some critics believe that Adam Sandler’s films hate women.

In 2016, The Solute shared their opinion: “Underneath the fart jokes and piss-poor scripts is this borderline terrifying streak of anger against every woman unfortunate enough to walk across this man’s path. If she won’t be his love interest, she’s only good enough to be a source of mockery or objectification.” They suggested that women are merely treated as eye-candy or prizes to be won with little to no complex character development. 

In 2015, The Atlantic suggested: “The problem is that the indolent sense of self-loathing extends, in Sandler’s films, beyond the characters he plays. The loathing here is equal-opportunity. Fat jokes. Asian jokes. Women jokes. Everyone is a target; and the impression this gives is not of Sandler as a kind of omnivorous satirist, but rather of Sandler as someone who is willfully unthinking about his mockery of other people.” 

Adam’s trademark films, which began in the ‘90s when women were treated with less respect than in 2025, allow everyone to be the butt of the joke. Adam’s own self-depreciation makes him a relatable “normal” guy. While the characters he plays are more flawed and less self-aware than those he mocks, people who take his movies too seriously might not understand Adam’s perspective. 

Comedy, laughter, and playfulness is often the goal; Adam both mocks and idealizes the average guy, allowing average people to see how dumb we can be while also showing we can find happiness and love. And if Adam was truly sexist, women wouldn’t continue to work with him. In fact, fan stories and celebrity anecdotes point to the opposite—Adam is a loyal, hard-working, kind, open-hearted man, which is why he’s so successful. People, including women, want to work with him, and some of the women he’s worked with have explained why throughout the years.

Jennifer Aniston

After her breakout role as Rachel in Friends, Jen became arguably the biggest star of the bunch. And before she starred in 2011’s Just Go With It opposite Adam, she had known him for over 20 years. Since then, they’ve starred in Netflix’s Murder Mystery and Murder Mystery 2, making her one of Adam’s most frequent collaborators. “He’s such a mensch and you just love each other, he takes you in, and I’m very much the same way,” she told E! News, “and then you become family. It’s like second nature.” 

In every interview, they make each other laugh effortlessly, and Jen has revealed to the Wall Street Journal that upon learning about her fertility struggles, Adam and his wife send her a bouquet of flowers every Mother’s Day. Their long-standing friendship and the respect Adam shows towards Jen as a comedian, actor, and friend, keep her coming back to work with him time and time again.

Drew Barrymore

Another frequent Adam Sandler collaborator, Drew has starred opposite Adam in The Wedding Singer (1998), 50 First Dates (2004), and Blended (2014). She said on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen that Adam was her best on-screen kiss and has even dubbed him her cinema-soulmate. She explained, “I love being in films with him, because I think we’re representing something bigger than hot, sexual chemistry. We’re representing true admiration of another person.”

In an episode of The Drew Barrymore Show earlier in 2025, she shared that her friendship with Adam runs deep: “I will grow old with him and Jackie [Sandler, his wife]. We’re together all the time. His wife Jackie is my dear friend,” and their daughters are friends as well. Because of their longstanding friendship, his vocal support of her talk show, and their unique on-screen chemistry, we expect Drew to stand by Adam’s side for many years to come.

Julie Bowen

Now in the ranks of Jennifer and Drew with three Adam Sandler collaborations thanks to Happy Gilmore 2, Julie also starred opposite Adam in Happy Gilmore (1996) and Hubie Halloween (2020). She told PEOPLE how much people love Adam: “Every day I got to work, I’m like, ‘Is that…?’ I’m not allowed to say who’s in it, but I’m just like, ‘What?!’ But these people all showed up for Adam because Adam makes everybody feel like they’re welcome, and he’s just so gracious and lovely.” Like Jen and Drew, Julie has known Adam a long time and is always eager to work with him.

Salma Hayek

An oft-forgotten Adam Sandler collaborator is Salma Hayek, who starred with Adam in Grown Ups (2010), Grown Ups 2 (2013), and Here Comes the Boom (2012). Contrary to how critics think Adam presents women in his films, many of his leading ladies are hilarious characters of their own. “My entire life I wanted to do comedy and people wouldn’t give me comedies,” Salma told GQ UK in 2023. “I couldn’t land a role until I met Adam Sandler, who put me in a comedy, but I was in my forties! They said, ‘You’re sexy, so you’re not allowed to have a sense of humor.'”

She also shared that as a mother, Adam always prioritizes family, making it easy to work with him while spending time with your kids. “We all brought children to the set,” she said in an interview with Collider. “Adam makes it the dream environment to bring children. They are so highly entertained that you’re nervous when you get back home because you wonder how you are going to entertain your child.” A loyal friend, a funny guy, and a family man? No wonder everyone wants to work with Adam!