Despite the logical explanation, Schneider’s absence changed the dynamic of the sequel. Taylor Lautner stepped in as the "new" friend, playing a frat boy antagonist-turned-ally, but the chemistry was undeniably different.
The Grown Ups franchise was, at its heart, a reunion of Sandler’s SNL era friends (Schneider, Farley, Sandler, Rock, Spade were all on SNL together in the early ‘90s). By the second film, the novelty had worn off. The sequel instead focused on bringing in younger stars (Lautner, Samberg) to attract a new demographic. Schneider, 50 at the time, simply didn’t fit that equation. why rob schneider not in grown ups 2
Schneider, for his part, has never publicly expressed bitterness. In fact, he returned to the Sandler fold shortly thereafter, voicing a character in Hotel Transylvania (2012) and appearing in The Ridiculous 6 (2015) on Netflix. The Grown Ups 2 omission appears to be a simple case of “job didn’t work out,” not a feud. By the second film, the novelty had worn off
Despite theories of a rift, the two remain close friends and longtime collaborators. Schneider has appeared in several subsequent Happy Madison productions, including The Ridiculous 6 (2015), Sandy Wexler (2017), and Hubie Halloween (2020). Schneider, for his part, has never publicly expressed