Adam Sandler Calls BFF Jennifer Aniston a "12 of a Person"

Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler had already known each different for more than 20 years by the clip they made their archetypal movie together, 2011's Just Go With It.

They were practically inactive kids—"We were, like, 14," Aniston recalled on Jimmy Kimmel Live, exaggerating lone a bit—when they met successful Los Angeles. She was dating 1 of the Sandman's buddies (who has ever remained nameless), but portion that guy's not portion of picture, Aniston and Sandler bonded implicit the complimentary pickles astatine Jerry's Deli and started a relationship that's inactive going beardown decades later.

"I emotion her," Sandler, 56, told E! News astatine the premiere of Murder Mystery 2 earlier this week. "She's coagulated arsenic a rock, she's successful large shape, she's funny, she's cool. She let's maine bash her hair...Ever since 'the Rachel,' I took over, I fluff it up conscionable right."

Intriguing, but Aniston, 54, had told E! moments earlier that her pal Sandler "likes to make rumors that aren't true, conscionable for fun."

He sounds similar rather the handful, but the bully times they've ever had together—making movies and conscionable hanging retired successful existent life—more than marque up for immoderate shenanigans. Asked if they're ever making each different laughter connected set, Aniston replied, "We don't try, we conscionable do." 

So determination whitethorn beryllium nary enigma arsenic to wherefore they get along, but Sandler has admitted he ne'er predicted that he and Aniston would go 2 of the astir palmy entertainers of their generation, fto unsocial their respective precocious schoolhouse classes.

Aniston name-checked communal pals similar David Spade, and Sandler joked about what it was similar being invited to Lake Como for dinner with George and Amal Clooney.

"[Jen's] like, 'George and I would emotion for you to travel implicit for pizza, but you person to formal right...You can't amusement up successful your shorts,'" helium cracked to E!, mimicking an exasperated voice. But Clooney "wears T-shirts, conscionable similar the Sandman," helium noted. "They laic connected him a small better. That's the lone difference."

And with that, helium had Aniston laughing for the umpteenth clip that day.

The camaraderie was palpable arsenic they finished each other's sentences similar member and sister, but their relationship was chiefly nether the radar up until Sandler recruited the Friends star for Just Go With It, which deed theaters Feb. 11, 2011 (also Aniston's birthday). She played his character's champion friend—whom helium yet realizes he's wholly successful emotion with aft chasing Brooklyn Decker around for astir of the movie.

After striking up their relationship successful L.A., Sandler ended up backmost successful New York successful 1990, archetypal arsenic a writer and past arsenic a formed subordinate connected Saturday Night Live, portion Aniston got Friends in 1994, truthful their journeys geographically diverged aboriginal on. Even erstwhile Sandler was fired from SNL successful 1995, a crook of events that helium ne'er fails to poke amusive at, helium started making astatine slightest a movie a year, starting with Billy Madison, and has hardly slowed down since—his benignant of downtime coming much successful the signifier of producing films that helium tin person each of his friends beryllium successful too.

Aniston, of course, became a immense prima and past joined Brad Pitt in 2000 (there's nary notation of Sandler being astatine their Malibu nuptials, but Spade was—and Sandler besides tied the knot with woman Jacqueline Titone in Malibu, 3 years later). She got divorced successful 2005 and has talked astir leaning on her choky ellipse of friends successful the aftermath. Meanwhile, Sandler's first daughter, Sadie, was calved successful 2006 and his second, Sunny, arrived successful 2008.

(As for immoderate the aboriginal holds for Aniston romantically, Sandler told E! that "whoever Jen connects with, I'm psyched for that person, 'cause she's a 12 of a girl.")

Aniston called it "heaven" and a "dream" erstwhile she and Sandler yet worked unneurotic on Just Go With It, which was filmed chiefly successful Hawaii, 1 of her favourite abrogation destinations.

"It was a truly bully time," Sandler agreed, nodding, during a joint sit-down with ScreenSlam in 2011, "hope to bash it again."

"And we're going to," she swiftly added.

But their long history was truthful chartless astatine the time, that they were asked if they ever hung retired erstwhile the cameras weren't rolling.

The pursuing year, Sandler paid tribute to Aniston erstwhile she received a prima connected the Hollywood Walk of Fame, archetypal taking gum retired of his rima and sticking it to the apical of the podium for safe-keeping. He besides did not dress up for the occasion, but it's not arsenic if she would person expected anything less.

"That's for you, Aniston," helium said, "nothing but respect, the champion T-shirt I had. Here's a small speech I wrote past night:

"Gather around, radical of Hollywood" helium began, successful his champion signature-Sandler whoop-ta-dee-do voice, causing tears of laughter astir immediately, "because it's fairy communicative communicative time. Once upon a time, determination was a mediocre small Greek girl, increasing up successful Manhattan by the sanction of Jeneefer Anistuffelupagus..." Etc.

Approaching his regular voice, helium concluded, "I emotion this girl, my woman loves this girl, the full satellite loves this girl...the miss who enactment the grace in Office Space, enactment the jolly in Along Came Polly, enactment the 'hor' in Horrible Bosses, enactment the bully miss in The Good Girl and took her bare boobs retired of Wanderlust. For god's sake, fto the miss person 1 happening she tin support to herself, you greedy bastards retired there."

Aniston got to instrumentality the favour precocious erstwhile Sandler was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and she and chap repetition Sandler co-star Drew Barrymore sparred onstage implicit who was really the funnyman's preferred person and starring lady.

Pretending to get serious, Aniston said, "About five years ago, I was truly down, and helium wrote a opus for me. And helium sings it to maine each New Year's Eve—and it's called 'No One Is a Closer Friend Than You...' "'And That's Why This Song Is a Secret'?!" the actresses concluded successful unison.

"He wrote that opus for you too?!" Barrymore yelled successful faux outrage. "And me!" Jackie Sandler chimed successful from the balcony wherever she was sitting alongside the antheral of the hour.

So backmost to the portion astir Sandler's woman loving Aniston, too: They seamlessly melded circles erstwhile they were some surviving in Los Angeles, Aniston hosting pizza nights with the Sandlers among her guests, shooting excavation and watching large games.

"She has a batch of bully TVs. I fell successful 1 of her rooms," Sandler explained to ScreenSlam, "she hangs retired with my woman and each her different friends. I thin to hide"—"No you don't," she protested. "I person immoderate fun," helium acknowledged. "By the way, my favourite representation [from 1 of those parties] is erstwhile a bully opus comes connected and I look crossed the room, I spot Aniston perceive a bully opus and commencement dancing. She's a large small dancer."

They had a blast connected determination successful Italy (hence pizza nighttime with the Clooneys connected Lake Como). Aniston besides shared with E! News that she advised Sandler connected however to groom the mustache helium grew for the movie, truthful that his woman wouldn't mind touching his face.

"We indispensable person been existent household successful different life," she said of their enslaved erstwhile they sat down unneurotic on Jimmy Kimmel Live to beforehand the film.

She unluckily had a erstwhile committedness that prevented her from attending Sadie's Bat Mitzvah that past weekend, truthful she missed the bid show by Adam Levine, but "she sent 1 of the champion gifts Sadie received retired of everybody," Sandler gushed. "$1.8 million."

Once again, helium had Aniston successful stitches.

That November they took to the signifier unneurotic to judge the People's Choice Award when Murder Mystery was named Comedy Movie of 2019. Two months aboriginal Aniston unexpectedly gave a shout-out to Sandler and his critically lauded crook in Uncut Gems erstwhile she won a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama for The Morning Show. (You remember, successful the code Pitt was watching backstage.)

After thanking a database of friends and colleagues progressive with the Apple TV+ series, she remembered earlier she near the stage, "Oh, Adam Sandler! Your show is bonzer and your magic is real, buddy, I emotion you."

He was not successful the room, but helium got the message.

On Instagram helium shared a pic of his pal accepting her SAG Award and wrote, "Congrats to the large @jenniferaniston for her SAG grant and her conscionable being the best."

Obviously needing a interruption from each that seriousness, they signed up for different go-round of murder, kidnapping and mayhem—the silly kind, that is—in Murder Mystery 2, present streaming connected Netflix. This time, Hawaii and Paris hosted their antics, including Aniston('s stunt double) swinging from the Eiffel Tower astatine 1:45 a.m.

It was either those locations oregon "my backyard," Sandler told E! News' Keltie Knight, joking that helium offered to do "green screen, enactment immoderate brainsick metropolis connected there." In immoderate case, helium deadpanned, gesturing toward Aniston, "She said no."

(Originally published May 22, 2020, astatine 7 a.m. PT)