Adam Sandler Isn't The Only Comedian to Come From New Hampshire

Adam Sandler may be the first New Hampshire comic to receive the prestigious Mark Twain Prize in Washington, D.C. But he's not the only Granite Stater to become a household name in the comedy world, nor is he the first New Hampshire native to star on Saturday Night Live.

The Manchester native is certainly the standard bearer, however, thanks to comedies such as Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, and Mr. Deeds, as well as Oscar-worthy dramas such as Uncut Gems and Reign Over Me.

This followed a lengthy run on Saturday Night Live, where Sandler debuted many of his now-legendary songs.

I always tell people that it was either Sandler or the late Norm Macdonald that stood between me getting all the way to the end of an episode of SNL on the tiny TV in my bedroom, or my mom banging on the door and telling me to go to bed so I could be up in time for church. They just made me laugh too hard. Oddly enough, it wasn’t one of Sandler’s songs that hit me the hardest, but a bizarre bit where he shared strange, low-budget Halloween costumes.

He may be a New Yorker at heart, but it was one of the first times I can remember seeing someone on TV who seemed like someone I’d be friends with on the school bus in New Hampshire. To some, maybe I was that guy. And there’s definitely some left-of-center Hew Hampshirisms that come out whenever I go on the air or perform for an audience.

Still, Sandler is hardly the first New Hampshirite to make it big in the comedy world. We can go all the way back to the Seacoast’s own Charles Rocket (who anchored Weekend Update on SNL in the '80s).

The state has produced several talented figures in the world of comedy, and here's a look at some of them.