Why Rob Schneider Wasn't In Grown Ups 2

For a movie that's mostly about how friendships are forever (among other sillier and more juvenile things, naturally), the 2010 Adam Sandler comedy "Grown Ups" may have had fans wondering about a conspicuously missing face from the sequel. For much of Sandler's career on the big screen, he's been joined by longtime friend and collaborator Rob Schneider. Starting with 1998's "The Waterboy," the two actors have appeared in well over a dozen movies together, from the likes of "Mr. Deeds" and "The Longest Yard" to even an animated movie like "Eight Crazy Nights." Contrary to recent rumors, the bond still seems to be going strong as the two ended up joining forces again in 2017's "Sandy Wexler" and once more in "Hubie Halloween" three years ago. But that hasn't stopped fans from wondering why, after such a prominent role in "Grown Ups," Schneider didn't return for another go-around in "Grown Ups 2."

If you're looking for some hot gossip or messy drama out of this, I'm afraid this saga doesn't exactly measure up to, say, Adam McKay and Will Ferrell officially parting ways a few years back. Instead, the only explanation on the record is pretty mundane, as far as these things go. Apparently, the "controversy" that saw Schneider miss out on "Grown Ups 2" amounted to two aspects: scheduling and money.

In an industry that's all about connections, who knew that being best buds with Adam Sandler still can't always take you to the promised land? In a 2012 radio interview with CBS Radio Houston (via Vulture), Schneider shed some light on what happened between "Grown Ups" and "Grown Ups 2." As he jokingly explained:

"They're doing 'Grown Ups 2' without me. Mistake. They should have paid me a lot of money ... Well, truthfully, I wasn't sure if I'd have my TV series, so it was an availability thing, but at the end of the day, they should have [said], 'What money does Rob need?'"

That TV series he mentioned was a reference to the short-lived CBS sitcom "Rob," which lasted for all of a single season from January to March 2012. Dogged by negative reviews and not much viewership to speak of, the show's cancellation came down just as production on "Grown Ups 2" was ramping up. That wasn't the only major event happening in Schneider's life at the time, however, as he also welcomed his first child that year while also focusing more on his stand-up career. Between that and the (possibly exaggerated) financial aspect, it seems a number of factors came together at once to prevent Schneider from reprising his role as the hippie Rob Hilliard. Instead, he was replaced in the second "Grown Ups" by fellow Sandler regular Nick Swardson, who played the brother of Schneider's character.

Mystery solved! Based on the reviews for "Grown Ups 2," Schneider probably dodged a bullet there. But both Sandler and Schneider will keep the good times rolling, as both lend their voices to the animated movie "Leo."