Happy Gilmore 2 just dropped on Netflix Friday, July 25, and it’s already making headlines. The long-awaited sequel to Adam Sandler’s 1996 classic brings back the golf comedy chaos, complete with cameos from Travis Kelce, Eminem, Post Malone, and Bad Bunny. But one blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment is hitting fans especially hard: a cameo from the late Cameron Boyce.
In one scene, a character working the check-in booth has a TV playing in the background. If you look closely, you’ll catch the Disney Channel alum in the lower right corner—wearing a blue shirt and holding binoculars. Eagle-eyed fans quickly recognized the footage as a clip from Jessie, likely the episode where Boyce’s character, Luke, breaks his leg and spends his time spying on the neighbors.
The reactions rolled in fast.
“Happy Gilmore 2 was great. The honoring of Cameron Boyce was such a cute and awesome Easter egg. Bottom right of the screen they’re watching them on TV. Adam Sandler you killed it,” one person posted on X (formerly Twitter).
“WHEN I SAW THAT I GASPED SO LOUD MY DOG LOOKED CONCERNED,” another quipped.
“I wasn’t going to watch happy gilmore 2 but finding out about the nod to cameron boyce had made me so emotional I just might,” chimed in a third.
“It actually makes me so heartbroken to think about what an amazingly talented and kind soul the world lost when he passed,” someone else said.
“IM SOBBING I COMPLETELY MISSED THIS,” added another.
The moment may be subtle, but it wasn’t the first time the 58-year-old 50 First Dates actor honored Boyce. The two worked together on the Grown Ups franchise, where Boyce played Sandler’s on-screen son.
After Boyce died in 2019 from an epileptic seizure at just 20 years old, Sandler paid tribute to him in Hubie Halloween, with a photo and message in the credits: “Gone way too soon and one of the kindest, coolest, funniest, and most talented kids we knew. You live on forever in our hearts and are truly missed every day.”
Boyce’s Descendants co-stars and collaborators continue to keep his memory alive, too. On what would’ve been his 26th birthday in May, Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, and Booboo Stewart all posted tributes.
“i still feel you all the time. catch you in the next life. happy birthday. i love you,” Cameron, 29, shared alongside throwback photos and a close-up of her tattoo honoring him.
“Keep dancing in heaven, my Cam. Earth could never be the same without you,” Carson, 32, wrote. “Our Angel. Our Sunshine. Our Cam.”
Stewart, 31, posted a photo of the two drinking milkshakes on his Instagram Story, writing, “Love you always, happy birthday @thecameronboyce.”
Director Kenny Ortega also remembered him on Instagram, writing, “You are love, light and forever with us.”
Boyce was honored again in 2024’s Descendants: The Rise of Red, where his character Carlos appears in a framed portrait and is referenced by name. China Anne McClain’s character Uma looks at the photo and says, “It’s what Carlos would have wanted… Do it in honor of him.”
That makes Happy Gilmore 2 the latest to pay tribute—and fans are taking note. While Sandler hasn’t confirmed the moment, it lines up with his track record of honoring the people he’s loved and worked with. And this small gesture? It’s hitting home
