Here Are All the Awards Adam Sandler Has Received Instead of An Oscar Nomination
Adam Sandler once said that, if he didn’t get an Oscar nomination for Uncut Gems, “I'm going to fucking come back and do one again that is so bad on purpose just to make you all pay.” Since then, he’s been laughing all the way to the Kennedy Center.
Next month’s 96th Academy Awards will be the 96th consecutive time the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has failed to honor Sandler at their snobby ceremony. The Academy gets a pass for the first 63 times they failed to invite Sandler, seeing as he either hadn’t been born yet or hadn’t started his film career by the time the nominations went out. However, ever since Sandler made his feature film debut in Bobcat Goldthwait’s 1991 comedy Shakes the Clown in the Best Supporting Actor-eligible role Dink the Clown, Hollywood’s biggest night has had this bizarre, mean-spirited tradition of denying the Sandman his rightful place among the honorable nominees each and every year.
Despite building buzz of awards-worthiness in roles such as the chaotic jeweler Howard Ratner in Uncut Gems and the disillusioned but passionate basketball scout Stanley Sugerman in Hustle, Sandler has never so much has sniffed an Oscar nomination — but he’s built a hefty trophy case in spite of the Academy voters. Here’s every single non-Oscar-award-winning Sandler project, starting with…
Happy Gilmore: MTV Movie Award for Best Fight
Sandler’s bare-knuckle brawl with Bob Barker didn’t just earn him a Golden Popcorn trophy, it also introduced The Price Is Right to an entirely new generation of game-show fans.
The Wedding Singer: MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (with Drew Barrymore); Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actor
Along with another joint-Golden Popcorn, Sandler scored his first Orange Blimp from the kids' network, an honor that was split between this movie and…
The Waterboy: MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance; Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actor
The Waterboy may have earned Sandler his third (and certainly not last) nomination at the Golden Raspberry Awards, but it helped to continue his rampage at the MTV honors ceremony that continues to this day.
Big Daddy: MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance; People’s Choice Award for Favorite Actor in a Comedy Motion Picture; Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor
This oft-overlooked Sandler classic helped the Sandman rack up his first PCA and first Razzie, a dual distinction that pretty much sums up his entire film career.
Mr. Deeds: Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards for Favorite Movie Actor
The critics didn’t love this rags-to-riches Sandler comedy, but their kids sure did.
Eight Crazy Nights: Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award for Favorite Voice From An Animated Movie
See above.
50 First Dates: Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Comedy; People’s Choice Award for Favorite On-Screen Matchup (With Barrymore); Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards for Favorite Movie Actor; MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo (With Barrymore)
Barrymore and Sandler racked up their second and third joint awards for this touching rom-com that somehow appealed to the Nickelodeon crowd along with every other Sandler film ever made.
Click: Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actor
How many thousands of now adults were scarred by the last third of this movie — I mean, besides myself?
Just Go With It: Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie: Chemistry
This movie made Jennifer Aniston essentially Teen Choice Award Eskimo sisters with Drew Barrymore.
Jack and Jill: Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actor; All of the Razzies
This infamous entry in Sandler’s filmography swept the 32nd Golden Raspberries, even “winning” for Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel.
Hotel Transylvania: Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie
By 2013, Sandler had more blimps than Goodyear, but he still wasn’t done cleaning up at Nickelodeon. Not by a long shot.
Grown Ups 2: Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actor
Somehow, the first Grown Ups was one of the few films that Nickelodeon didn't award with another Orange Blimp, but by the time the sequel came out, the franchise had grown on them.
Uncut Gems: Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead; Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor; National Board of Review Award for Best Actor
Sandler’s most lauded performance somehow didn’t get a single nod from the Golden Globes or the Academy Awards, but at least the indie world knew what was up.
Hustle: People’s Choice Award for Comedy Movie Star of the Year
Sandler’s most recent bid for Oscar recognition unfortunately ended with less hardware than his first try.
Murder Mystery 2: MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance
Almost 20 years after his last Golden Popcorn, the Sandman came storming back on his lucrative Netflix deal.
Assorted: Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; Mark Twain Prize for American Humor; Career Tribute at the Gotham Awards; People’s Choice Award for Favorite Funny Male Star, Favorite Comedic Star, Favorite Comedic Movie Actor (x4)
All I’m saying is that the stiffs at the Academy never gave Mark Twain an Oscar, either.
