Summary
- Adam Sandler's first role was on 'The Cosby Show' at just 18 years old, which had a significant impact on his career.
- Sandler received advice from Bill Cosby to keep his comedy clean and avoid unnecessary curse words.
- Adam Sandler and Chris Rock, close friends and comedy partners, both had experiences on 'The Cosby Show' but had different outcomes with Cosby.
Adam Sandler has been a mainstay of the comedy scene for nearly 40 years and has been in a number of box office hits. Many consider Saturday Night Live their introduction to a young Sandler, but his first role was actually on The Cosby Show.
Sandler was just 18 when he appeared on the popular sitcom as Theo Huxtable's obnoxious friend, Smitty. It was just four episodes, but the role made a huge impact on Sandler's career. He appeared in the fourth season of the sitcom and goes on a date with Theo's sister Denise Huxtable, who dumps him after a first date.
The Cosby Show was the number-one show on TV from 1984 and 1989. Co-created and starring Cosby, it focuses on the Huxtables, an upper-middle-class African-American family living in Brooklyn.
The One Bit Of Advice Bill Cosby Gave Adam Sandler
In an interview promoting his movie Grown Ups 2, Adam Sandler spoke up about how Bill Cosby changed the comedy industry with his timing. In the 2013 interview, Sandler says Cosby’s legacy had a huge influence on his generation of comedians. “He was the one,” he said.
"He was extra smooth, man," Sandler's co-star Kevin James added in the interview. "I remember watching him. I learned a lot from him."
He explained to NBC's Chris Witherspoon that the disgraced comedian gave him just one bit of advice. “I was just a kid… he wouldn’t remember. I was only like 18 or something,” Sandler recalled. “He told me ‘you should try to keep it clean when you do you act, and think about if it’s necessary to use that curse or not.’”
Asked whether or not he's ever cursed in a movie, Sandler replied, "I don't think I've ever cursed before." This interview took place before Sandler made Uncut Gems, a more adult role which led to critical acclaim.
Adam Sandler admitted that whilst his comedy was a little more lewd when he was younger he has since cleaned up his stand-up act. “I was filthy in the beginning, but I turned into a decent human.”
Over 500 Lawsuits Plagued Adam Sandler's Biggest Box Office Flop, But Did He Even Care?
Adam Sandler's movie The Cobbler was not only a massive flop but spark numerous lawsuits that added a dark mark on its legacy.
Sandler is now known for making family-friendly movies like 50 First Dates, Pixels and Happy Gilmore. This choice to make cleaner PG-13 films may be due to the advice given to him as an 18-year-old trying to make it in the business.
Sandler also mentioned spoke about Cosby having control over every aspect of the set, something Sandler has "mucho respect for." In 2014, the year after this interview aired, allegations came out about Cosby's conduct both on-set and off-set.
How Does Adam Sandler Feel About Bill Cosby After The Allegations
Bill Cosby may have once been a comedy icon, but he has since hit headlines for sexual assault allegations. Cosby has been accused by over sixty women of a variety of offenses, including groping, sexual assault and rape as far back as the 1960s.
Since the allegation came out, television networks have chosen not to show reruns of The Cosby Show, and it was quickly pulled from syndication.
How does Adam Sandler about his early work possibly never seeing the light of day again? The Little Nicky actor was at a loss for words simply replying, “I don’t have a good answer for that, but I understand both sides of it, but I don’t know what the right thing to do is.”
The One Actress Bill Cosby Went Out Of His Way To Fire On A Different World
This actress got removed from the show after telling Cosby that she was pregnant.
How Adam Sandler Caused Chris Rock To Be Removed From The Set Of The Cosby Show
Adam Sandler and Chris Rock have been close friends since they started their careers together doing comedy in small clubs. Sandler invited his friend on the set of The Cosby Show as moral support. Whilst the two had a dun time, Bill Cosby was not impressed so he soon removed Chris Rock from the set.
In 2010, Sandler made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and spoke about his early TV job. During the interview, Sandler revealed that Rock had an early career break whilst tagging along with Sandler on set. When The Cosby Show's warmup comedian got sick, Rock took his place.
If Rock had impressed Bill Cosby, he may have had a huge career break. At the time, Bill Cosby was one of the most powerful men in the comedy world so impressing him would have helped his career hugely.
Adam Sandler Has Regrets Looking Back At His Days On SNL
Adam Sandler admitted to making several mistakes during his days on Saturday Night Live.
Unfortunately, Rock wound up offending Cosby after calling out the sitcom star’s character Mushmouth for being “the most racist character”. Sandler explains that Cosby angrily told Rock “not in my house” and kicked the funny man out of the building.
Rock was asked to never return to the show's set, but it sounds like Cosby changed his mind later on. "I mean, maybe Cosby early on, but he turned pretty quick," Rock has since shared.
Chris Rock later revealed he was supposed to play Cockroach on The Cosby Show. The role eventually went to Carl Payne. "I was supposed to be Cockroach on The Cosby Show. That was supposed to happen, where I was Theo's best friend and thank god that didn't happen," Rock quipped to Stephen Colbert.
Sandler and Rock would go on to work on Saturday Night Live together and Grown Ups. "They don't want to give my man his props, we will tonight," Rock said of Sandler when handling him the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, before calling him "one of the greatest of all time."
