Adam Sandler attended the 2025 Oscars as part of a bit with host Conan O’Brien. The comedy icon could very possibly appear at the ceremony again this year, but this time as a nominee for his supporting turn opposite George Clooney in Jay Kelly. Helping that cause is a career achievement award that Sandler has just received.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has announced that Sandler is this year’s recipient of the Matlin Modern Master Award. Sandler will officially be feted for the award on February 5, 2026, weeks before final voting for the Oscars are set to begin. As part of the ceremony, film critic and historian Leonard Matlin will host a career-retrospective of Sandler.

With the announcement, Matlin shared a statement saying he has been a fan of Sandler’s since “The Hanukkah Song” on Saturday Night Live, while also recognizing Sandler’s success in building a following through his hit comedies. He also praised Sandler’s non-comedic work, saying:

I love that he’s left his comfort zone and delivered potent performances in Uncut Gems and Jay Kelly. I can’t wait to share the stage with him in Santa Barbara.

In Jay Kelly, which releases in limited movie theaters on November 14 before premiering on Netflix on December 5, Sandler plays the manager to George Clooney’s тιтular movie star as they go on an emotional journey across Europe. ScreenRant‘s Jay Kelly review calls Sandler’s performance “brilliant,” while according to the site Gold Derby, Sandler is seen as a likely nominee for Best Supporting Actor at this time.

However, this is not the first time that Sandler has been in the conversation for an Oscar nomination. As noted by Matlin, Sandler’s performance in Uncut Gems has been the actor’s most acclaimed work to date, and it saw him receive many nominations from critics groups, though he was ultimately not nominated by the Academy. Sandler was able to joke about his Oscar snub though.

Some of Sandler’s other nominated performances throughout his career have included Punch-Drunk Love, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe, and Hustle, with the Screen Actors Guild giving him a nod.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has been handing out the Modern Master Award, which they renamed after Matlin in 2015, since 1995. The award is meant to honor an individual who has enriched our culture through their accomplishments in film.

Sandler joins a group of past winners that includes Javier Bardem, Cate Blanchett, James Cameron, his Jay Keller co-star George Clooney, Robert Downey Jr., Clint Eastwood, Peter Jackson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Christopher Nolan, Christopher Plummer, and Denzel Washington.