Adam Sandler Claimed He Would Purposefully Make a Terrible Movie If ‘Uncut Gems’ Didn’t Win at the Oscars

A promise Adam Sandler made last month now has some interesting implications. The actor’s latest endeavor, Uncut Gems, was completely shut out of this year’s Academy Award nominations, despite its overwhelmingly positive critical reception. After it was snubbed, a very specific promise that Sandler made last month on The Howard Stern Show has started to surface again.

“If I don’t get it, I’m going to f—— come back and do one again that is so bad on purpose just to make you all pay. That’s how I get them.” Sandler said at the time, as noted by the New York Post.

The real question now is whether or not Sandler will make good on his promise. He’s a reliable box office draw, he’s got a long-running deal with Netflix, and his last movie for the streaming service, Murder Mystery, racked up more than 30 million views in its first three days. Given that kind of track record, he could easily make his “bad on purpose” flick and it would likely still find a substantial audience.

Though Sandler’s handled dramatic roles before, including Punch Drunk Love back in 2003, Uncut Gems was still something of a departure for the actor, given the Saturday Night Live alum is still best known for irreverent, lowbrow comedies like Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore.

Regardless, when the film hit theaters release on Christmas day, it racked up all sorts of awards buzz, particularly for Sandler’s acting chops, as well as the writer/director team of brothers Benny and Josh Safdie. After the nominations were given, the actor’s substantial fanbase had trouble believing the film had been outright ignored by The Academy.

Despite the snub, Sandler seems to be in good spirits about the whole thing. He even referenced his 1988 comedy The Waterboy when congratulating former co-star Kathy Bates on her nomination for her work in Richard Jewell.

Sandler isn’t alone in another year of surprising Oscar snubs. Some other glaring absences included Lupita Nyong’o’s dual-role in Us, Awkwafina for The Farewell, Eddie Murphy for Dolemite is My Name and Jennifer Lopez’s supporting role in Hustlers. Even Issa Rae, who announced the nominations alongside John Cho, took the time to point out that there were no women represented in this year’s Best Director category.

The 2020 Academy Awards will air Feb. 9th on ABC.