Whatever Happened To Rob Schneider?

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Rob Schneider was one of the omnipresent comedy actors before he seemingly dropped off the face of the Earth. Sure, he still did some projects here and there after the mid-2010s, like playing the principal in good pal Adam Sandler's "Leo," but he simply hasn't been doing as much screen work as he used to. 

However, not being as active in Hollywood hasn't stopped Schneider from being active on Fox News. He occasionally appears on the news channel to talk politics, namely to talk about wokeness in America. He even told Glenn Beck in 2022, "I don't care about my career anymore. I care about my children and the country they're going to live in," according to Newsweek. Moreover, the actor told Newsweek that his post-career legacy of prioritizing his patriotism for the sake of his children is far more important to him. What exactly does that mean for Schneider? What is he doing if he isn't acting anymore? 

On October 31, 2023, Rob Schneider revealed he had converted to Catholicism. In talking to the National Catholic Register, he said he won't be doing the kinds of comedies he used to and frankly, he wasn't sure where his work was headed. The outlet further explained that his mother was Catholic and his father was Jewish, whereas he didn't practice religion for a long time. 

He went on to tell The Christian Post that he wasn't ashamed of the work he used to do; he just isn't interested in that raunchy kind of comedy anymore. Schneider also acknowledged to the outlet that his newfound faith may have a negative impact on his work, though he no longer feels connected to the industry anyway. 

"I don't feel a part of Hollywood," he told The Christian Post. "I don't feel any obligation to Hollywood whatsoever. I don't feel like I'm from Hollywood. I'm just an actor and made my living for a long time there. I feel no sense of loyalty or disloyalty to Hollywood. Let them do whatever they want. I don't feel the same fear that they feel."

Mostly leaving Hollywood behind, Rob Schneider is spending more time talking about right-wing politics, particularly on Fox News. He released a comedy special on Fox Nation in June 2023 entitled "Rob Schneider: Woke Up in America," which he was also touring nationwide. In talking to "Fox & Friends" about his special, he explained that he isn't apologizing for the things he says. 

"At the end of the day," he told the hosts (via the New York Post), "you have to go where the jokes are and you have to go make fun of the people who deserve to be mocked. And I think the authoritarianism, especially coming from the liberal intelligentsia, deserves to be mocked, and it's easy to do." 

Rolling Stone also pointed out that Schneider has not always been so outwardly conspiratorial or right-wing, though his stances as an anti-vaxxer are stronger than ever. He has even been known to hype up conspiracy theories around childhood vaccines, saying that they cause autism, the outlet also explained.