What Adam Sandler's Daughters Sadie And Sunny's Life Is Like Growing Up With Famous Parents
It goes without saying that growing up with celebrity parents isn't an experience that many can relate to. Many of these famous families, however, are doing their very best to keep their kids' lives out of the spotlight and give them a (nearly) normal childhood like the rest of us. "The idea of my kids being spoiled, I go to sleep thinking about it and I wake up thinking about it," comedian Adam Sandler once admitted to the Toronto Sun (via People).
He, along with his wife Jackie Sandler, have always set out to keep their private lives out of the public eye — but now, they can't seem to keep their two daughters out of the spotlight. Ever since each of their baby girls took their first steps, Sadie and Sunny Sandler have been seen in many of their father's funniest films, and it doesn't look as though these two teenagers will be walking away from the cameras anytime soon. Over the years, they've moved on from background characters and have become film stars themselves. "Who knows if it stays, but right now, this is their passion," their famous father told Extra.
Here's a look at what the two Sandler sisters' lives have looked like growing up on screen in such a famous family.
Sadie and Sunny grew up on movie sets and on the road
Sadie and Sunny Sandler spent their childhoods constantly playing pretend. Unlike other children, however, they got to do it on a much larger scale — the big screen. The two spent their childhood hanging out on movie sets and hitting the road for shows with their funny father. Heck, they've even gotten the chance to join in on the fun. "Both of my daughters come on stage and sing sometimes because they're on the road with me all the time," Adam Sandler explained to Us Weekly.
Over the years, the young self-proclaimed Swifties have been spotted singing Taylor Swift's biggest hits and even a little Adele on stages across the country. They've also racked up an impressive list of film credits ever since they were able to toddle across a sound stage. In 2008, Sadie Sandler made her big screen debut in her father's film "Don't Mess with the Zohan." Two years later, her younger sister Sunny made her acting debut in "Grown Ups."
Landing roles in their parents' films has become a tradition. They've appeared in Adam Sandler's films for more than 15 years and have no plans of stopping sharing screen time with their famous 'rents. "My kids grew up hanging out on sets, talking movies, being in movies ... since they were young," their father told Extra. "This is kind of what they talked about, this is what they want to do."
They aren't allowed to watch some of their father's work
As many Adam Sandler fans know, many of his films aren't necessarily family-friendly (Does anyone else remember Ms. Triple Nipple from "Eight Crazy Nights"?), so it's made many question whether or not he lets his young daughters watch his work. Even now that the Sandler sisters are teenagers, he still hopes that Sadie and Sunny aren't ever interested in listening to his comedy albums. "I don't want my kid to hear any of the albums I've made," he once shared during an interview with BlackFilm.com.
While the comedian has since shown his daughters his more mature films, one of his most critically acclaimed ones is an entirely different story. When "Uncut Gems" was released in 2019, Sandler wouldn't let Sadie or Sunny watch the film's trailer. In the crime thriller made by A24, the comedian tackles a completely new kind of role as a jeweler out to make a killing — and he will do whatever it takes to score it. "I'm nervous about when they're old enough to see this that they're going to be disappointed in my behavior," Sandler told Closer Weekly.
However, it was this same behavior that brought him loads of Oscar buzz that same year. Unfortunately, it seems as though his daughters may never know why.
Sadie and Sunny have majorly inspired their father's films
Early on in Adam Sandler's career, he tended to focus on creating content for older audiences. It wasn't until he had two daughters of his own that he wanted to begin tackling much more family-friendly films. "When they were little, just like 'Hotel Transylvania,' I wanted to make movies they could watch and have a good time," the actor told Seattle's KING-TV.
Behind the scenes, he wanted Sadie and Sunny Sandler to have just as good a time. He cast them each as characters in the spooky animated film as well as its two sequels. In Sandler's latest animated film "Leo," he decided to do the same. "Always fun to be around them and tell them what to do," he joked.
Jokes aside, the Sandler sisters have continued to inspire their father's film content to this day. The message resonating from the lovable lizard in "Leo" is, after all, something that will be able to resonate with any parent watching. "The thing you learn from the movie is it's just good to listen to your kids," Sandler explained. "My wife has been telling me that for a long time. Sometimes I react quickly when the kids tell me something — I jump all over it, 'Do this, do that.' And then my wife's like, 'I don't think you needed to say all that. I think they just wanted to be able to talk to you.'"
Just like their famous parents, they also have to deal with criticism
Growing up with such famous parents has made it as difficult for Sadie and Sunny Sandler to keep their personal lives away from the public eye. In 2023, the Sandler sisters stepped even further into the spotlight when they were seen in their very first starring roles in Netflix's film, "You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah" alongside their famous parents.
As the two Sandler girls continue to dive deeper into the entertainment industry, they've also found themselves dealing with the criticism the craft so often brings. For that, they have the perfect person to turn to for career advice when navigating the unavoidable craziness that comes with filmmaking: their father. "I tell them to make sure you feel good about what you do and how hard you worked, and you judge yourself," Adam Sandler shared with People. "Don't let too many people try to get in your head. If you feel like you gave it your all, that's all you can ask."
Luckily, Sadie and Sunny's first starring roles in their 2023 film were met with high reviews. "You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah" was, and continues to be, one of Adam Sandler's top-rated films on Rotten Tomatoes and his best-reviewed film of all time.
Sadie and Sunny have famous friends
In 2023, Sadie and Sunny Sandler were finally cast as Adam Sandler's daughters in the film "You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah." In the past, other child actors had been cast to play his fictional children — and these young stars have since become friends with the Sandler family.
In their famous father's 2014 movie "Blended," actress Bella Thorne was cast in the role of Adam Sandler's on-screen daughter. Before the film's premiere, Thorne's Disney Channel series "Shake It Up" had just come to an end, and it was a popular show among kids Sadie and Sunny's age — so at the time of casting for "Blended," "I used Bella [Thorne] to get closer to my kids," Adam Sandler told Us Weekly. "It felt right. My kids love Bella!"
Another young star that his daughters admired was the late, great Cameron Boyce. "My kids loved him," Adam Sandler told Yahoo! Entertainment. "He was always great to my family." Boyce, who was also known for his work on Disney Channel, even attended Sadie's bat mitzvah a few months before his death. "Every one of my daughter's friends was coming up to him, and he took the time and talked to everybody, and signed autographs and took pictures with them," Adam Sandler reminisced to the outlet. "He was just a great kid, and everybody misses him."
Their bat mitzvahs were 'like Coachella'
When it came time to celebrate each of the Sandler sisters' bat mitzvahs, it seemed as though every famous friend of the family was invited. Even mega musician Halsey was impressed. "It was the craziest bat mitzvah I've ever seen in my life, as you would expect from Adam Sandler," she later shared on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon." "It was like Coachella. I couldn't believe it."
Halsey and Maroon 5's lead singer Adam Levine were asked by the sisters' father to perform for all of the guests at Sadie's bat mitzvah. Of course, neither one of them could say no to the famous comedian's request.
Having not one, but two, iconic singers perform at a bat mitzvah is a memory that many Jewish girls will never have — but certainly not if you're a Sandler. "Oh, she hugged me so much, my Sadie, after," Adam Sandler shared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," adding that "it was a perfect night." As it turns out, it was all because everybody was so invited to her bat mitzvah.
Their classmates think Adam Sandler is 'like Santa'
Though Sadie and Sunny Sandler may think of their famous father as an ordinary guy, no one at their school seems to think the same way. "Honestly, at school, I'm like Santa," Adam Sandler once shared during an interview with HuffPost. "The kids love me and flock around me."
Even so, like most teenagers, his daughters never seem to be the least bit impressed. "It doesn't make me cool," the comedian added. "I'm just a guy with a lot of kids around him."
What does make him cool at school, however, is the meal that he often brings his daughters for their school lunch — which he always tries to make time to do even amongst his busy filming schedules. "The best thing about my kids' school is you can show up any day you want and have lunch with your kids," Sandler said. "But you better show up with an In-N-Out burger."
While we see Adam Sandler as a celebrity, his daughters are not impressed by his movies
Over the years, Adam Sandler hasn't allowed his daughters to see many of his more mature films. However, Sadie and Sunny Sandler have demanded the opportunity to watch some of his most famous scenes to see what all the hype is about. "I'll put them on because they beg to see them," the comedian shared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." "They're like, 'Please, it's not fair. Let me watch your movies. Those people always yell things at you on the street, and I don't know what the heck they're talking about."
Now that Sadie and Sunny are older, their father has finally given in to their requests and played his favorite films (starring himself, of course) on their home television. However, they haven't been as impressed by his blockbuster hits as many other fans out there. "I'd say about 20 minutes in, I see them tuning out ... They're like, 'Can we watch something else?'" Sandler laughed.
His iconic "The Chanukah Song" luckily, is something that his daughters can get behind. "The fact that it comes once a year makes it a little less where my kids can get sick of it," he joked with Access Hollywood.
The sisters are not a fan of seeing their father kiss other actresses on screen
Adam Sandler has had the opportunity to lock lips with many famous actresses over the years. However, seeing their father act out such a special moment with anyone other than their mother doesn't sit well with Sadie or Sunny Sandler. "They're not thrilled about that," their father admitted on the "Jennifer Hudson Show."
While their famous mother, Jackie Sandler, has no problem with her husband taking his acting roles so seriously, the two Sandler sisters have made it clear that they have their mother's back. Whenever a kissing scene comes around, the youngest Sandler makes sure her mother is aware of what's happening. "Sunny would always be going over to my wife saying, 'You have to watch them. That's not good,' and 'I don't like that,'" Adam Sandler said.
That being said, Sandler's wife has played his love interest before. Funny enough, it's in an animated film that doesn't involve any kissing between the two of them. In "Hotel Transylvania," she voices Dracula's (played by Adam Sandler) late wife Martha.
On the other hand, their father isn't excited about seeing his daughters date
When it comes to dating, Adam Sandler isn't at all looking forward to the days when his daughters will bring home any potential suitors. In the book "What They Know About ... Parenting!: Celebrity Moms and Dads Give Us Their Take on Having Kids," the comedian described that seeing his daughters enter the world of dating will not at all be like the romantic comedies we've seen him star in on the big screen. He promises that watching his daughters date will be "ugly." "I will not encourage dating," he wrote, and he even plans to have his famous friends discourage it as well. "I'll get my friends Rob Schneider and David Spade to come over to rough up the boys who want to take her out," Sandler added.
Even just hearing his daughters talk about boys is something that makes the famous actor extra uncomfortable. "It's very weird to see your kid lock eyes with a boy while they're talking to them," he said on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." "It's like, 'Whoa, you lock with daddy's eyes, man.'"
The Sandler sisters want to follow in their parents' professional footsteps
Ever since Sadie and Sunny joined the Sandler family, they have taken center stage in their parents' lives — so much so that they've become involved in nearly every aspect of it.
These days, the duo does more than just go to school. The sisters have become more and more involved in their parents' films, taking even larger roles in them since "You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah" and "Leo" hit Netflix in 2023. Filmmaking has truly become a family affair, and storytelling is something that the Sandler sisters take seriously. "My older daughter [Sadie] wants to go to college for it," Adam Sandler recently shared on the "Jennifer Hudson Show."
Whatever his daughters decide to do after graduation day — whether it's entering into the crazy entertainment business or discovering their passion for a desk job instead — their famous father will always be their biggest fan. "Whatever they're excited about in their lives, I'll back them up," the proud papa told US Weekly.