Adam Sandler Laughs Off Unintentional Style Icon Status, Calls It 'Funny as Hell'

Adam Sandler has revealed that he's just as surprised as everyone else about becoming a fashion icon.

Speaking to Complex, the 58-year-old actor and comedian, who is currently on a promo run for the highly-anticipated Happy Gilmore 2, was asked how it felt to "unintentionally kind of become a style icon" and whether it felt "flattering" or "confusing."

"It's funny as hell," said Sandler. "And whenever one of my kids or their friends talk to me about it … my wife's like, 'What the hell are we talking about right now? How did that happen?'"

He added: "But my wife [Jackie] always was nice to me about my clothes. Even when we were young, others would say, 'Would you put on something better than that? Your wife's dressed so beautifully.'

"My wife would say, 'He’s comfortable like that. Let him do that. Leave him alone.'"

Julie Bowen, who reprises her role as Virginia Venit from the first Happy Gilmore film, chimed in to admire Sandler’s outfit — a short-sleeved, 1980s-style geometric print shirt with flamingos and palm trees, paired with light blue shorts.

"He’s happy," she said. "I’m looking at his Sunday swagger. I noticed he dressed up for you because there’s things that match."

"There’s a little something going on," Sandler said, before Complex pointed out the color coordination. "A lot of thought went into it, thank you."

Sandler's style became a cultural phenomenon last summer, especially among Gen Z, who dubbed the look "Sandlercore" or "Madam Sandler" on TikTok.

In an August 2024 interview with People, Sandler called the trend an "accidental thing."

"But here I am wearing goofy clothes, and I don't know. I don't think about it," he added, before sharing his approval of the "Madam Sandler" aesthetic, which consists of crop tops with long, oversized shorts.

During a March 2023 interview on the Drew Barrymore Show, Sandler summed up his wardrobe philosophy.

"I go into my closet, I got a bunch of t-shirts and shorts, kinda they're all the same … I usually go t-shirt first … I just want to cover that quickly. I'm like what the hell, grab anything," he said at the time (via People). "Then I go with shorts and I throw them on. Sometimes they'll be slightly too tight. I go let me take those off and get the triple-X shorts on."

Happy Gilmore 2, starring Sandler alongside Julie Bowen, Ben Stiller and Christopher McDonald, debuts on Netflix July 25.

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