In the early 2010s, Schneider’s public persona shifted from “funny character actor” to “outspoken conservative commentator.” He was appearing on Fox News, making controversial statements about vaccination, transgender rights, and immigration. In 2013, the same year Grown Ups 2 was released, Schneider was already courting the kind of political controversy that Sandler—who has carefully cultivated an apolitical, “everybody’s funny” image—wanted nothing to do with.
Yet when the sequel to the 2010 ensemble hit arrived, Schneider was nowhere to be found. The core five childhood friends—Lenny (Sandler), Eric (Kevin James), Kurt (Chris Rock), Marcus (David Spade), and Higgins (Schneider)—were suddenly a quartet. Rob’s character, Rob Hilliard, the sweet-natured, perpetually henpecked car salesman, had vanished without so much as an explanatory line of dialogue. why wasn't rob schneider in grown ups 2
While Sandler has worked with conservative-leaning friends before (see: Nick Swardson), Schneider’s rhetoric was becoming louder. Casting him in a family-friendly, nostalgic comedy about friendship could have invited unwanted headlines. It’s far more likely, however, that this was a minor consideration compared to the simpler truth: Schneider’s character simply wasn’t needed. The final, brutal answer to “why wasn’t Rob Schneider in Grown Ups 2 ?” is that almost no one noticed he was gone. In the early 2010s, Schneider’s public persona shifted
