Adam Sandler Recalls Getting Angry At Jimmy Fallon Over SNL Impressions

Adam Sandler

Quarantines may still be going strong, but even COVID-19 could only take late-night television down temporarily. Jimmy Fallon is currently doing a condensed low-budget version of The Tonight Show and has been interviewing celebrities who are also in quarantine. Adam Sandler was one of the latest to get in on this and, as one would expect, the two eventually found themselves talking about Saturday Night Live.

Specifically, Jimmy Fallon asked Adam Sandler if he remembered a phone call they had 20 years back. After some light memory jogging, Sandler indeed remembered the time Fallon called him to ask his permission to do an impression of him for an SNL sketch. While Sandler signed off, the parody Fallon did of his persona did rile him up a bit. Sandler would go on to talk about the call, his reaction at the time, and how he feels about it today:

I do remember back then – that’s like 20 years ago or something – always getting calls from anybody who mentioned your name from my friends in my hometown, going, ‘You see they were making fun of you? Blah blah blah.’ And I had to be like, ‘Oh yeah, really?’ But as I got older, I was like what the hell is the difference, man? It’s fun. Who cares?

Sandler says that, with age, he grew to understand both perspectives of the art of a parody. He's experienced what it's like to be impersonated by someone just for the sake of comedy as well as the touch of resentment when being targeted for just living your life.

Adam Sandler understood the other side of the coin too, because he also performed impersonations during his time on Saturday Night Live. Sandler would end up doing impressions of famous celebrities if a bit called for it. He would then run into those celebrities some time later, noticing they held no ill will towards him for performing the impression on the air:

I remember on SNL I did a few people who were pissed at me afterward, and I didn’t understand because I was so young. I don’t remember which actors and stuff, but a skit is written, and all of a sudden you’re supposed to do an impression of somebody. And then I went to like a Knicks game or something, and somebody I did was there, and [they ignored me]. They ice you, right?

It's cool to hear Jimmy Fallon and Adam Sandler speak about an experience that very few people can relate to.  It's also still cool that Jimmy Fallon and others are staying committed to releasing new content during the COVID-19 pandemic so we can all continue to laugh and relate to each other through this new and unprecedented experience.

Keep in mind that the The Tonight Show's "At Home Edition" is still going strong, but not all television is. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for continued updates on what's happening with television during this pandemic, and for updates on what's happening in the future of movies as well.

Mick Joest
Content Producer

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.