Long before Nikki Glaser was standing on one of the biggest stages in entertainment as the host of the Golden Globe Awards, she was doing something far less glamorous: babysitting.

At the time, Glaser was a young comedian still finding her footing, juggling stand-up gigs with everyday jobs to make ends meet. One of those jobs was babysitting for filmmaker Judd Apatow and actress Leslie Mann, taking care of their daughters, Maude and Iris Apatow. It was a small, quiet chapter in her life — but one that would unexpectedly intersect with a Hollywood legend in the most charming way possible.

That legend, of course, was Adam Sandler.

A PHONE CALL THAT STARTED IT ALL

During a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show, where Glaser was promoting her return as host of the Golden Globes, she shared a story that left listeners laughing — and smiling.

One night while she was babysitting, the phone rang.

On the other end was a voice she immediately recognized.

“I remember one night, Adam Sandler called, and he was like, ‘Helloooo?’” Glaser recalled, perfectly mimicking Sandler’s famously goofy cadence.

At first, Sandler assumed he was speaking to Maude Apatow. The younger daughter had a slightly huskier voice, and in his mind, the confusion made sense.

“He thought I was Maude,” Glaser said. “‘Hello, Maude, this is Adam.’”

Instead of correcting him immediately, Glaser responded politely.

“Oh, hi!”

That’s when Sandler realized his mistake.

“Oh, sorry — you’re the babysitter! Adam Sandler. How’s your night going?”

What could have been an awkward moment turned into something unexpectedly meaningful.

NOT JUST A QUICK CHECK-IN

Rather than rushing off the call or keeping things brief, Sandler stayed on the line. He asked Glaser how her night was going. He joked around. He was warm, silly, and genuinely interested — not in a performative way, but in a human one.

“That was the nicest call I’ve ever gotten from someone when I was babysitting,” Glaser said. “From a family member or a friend calling.”

For a young comedian still fighting to be seen, that small interaction left a lasting impression.

“It was my first interaction with Adam Sandler,” she said. “And I have loved him ever since.”

SEEING SANDLER THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENS

Glaser also remembered how fondly Sandler interacted with the Apatow children. Even over the phone, his playful energy came through.

“It was so cute how he was so silly,” she said. “And he asked me how my night was.”

At the time, Sandler was already one of the most recognizable comedy stars in the world. But to Glaser, that night, he wasn’t a megastar — he was just a kind, funny guy calling to check in on his friend’s kids.

That distinction mattered.

FROM BABYSITTER TO GOLDEN GLOBES HOST

Fast-forward years later, and the tables had turned dramatically.

In 2026, Nikki Glaser found herself hosting the Golden Globe Awards for the second year in a row — a massive milestone in her career. As she took the stage, scanning the audience, she spotted a familiar face sitting right in front.

Adam Sandler.

“He was sitting right in front of me, turned around, watching, beaming at me, smiling — just rooting me on,” Glaser said.

The moment hit her harder than she expected.

“I flubbed every line in that,” she admitted with a laugh. “Because I was so nervous performing for Adam Sandler.”

For someone who had once been mistaken for a child on the phone, performing comedy in front of one of her heroes was surreal.

“I love him so much,” she said. “He was so supportive.”

JUDD APATOW REMEMBERS IT TOO

Judd Apatow himself also crossed paths with Glaser at the ceremony. While presenting the Golden Globe for Best Director, he took a moment to remind everyone of Glaser’s unlikely beginnings with his family.

“She was our babysitter,” Apatow said. “And she was like, ‘I do stand-up comedy.’”

Curious, Apatow decided to look her up online.

“And then I went online and watched her set,” he continued, “and it was all about smoking reefer and having weird sex. And then she stopped being our babysitter.”

The audience laughed — and so did Glaser.

“I really appreciated that he shared that,” she later told Howard Stern. “I was really tickled by that because it’s such a special moment for me that I started out as his babysitter.”

BEING SEEN FOR MORE THAN YOUR FIRST ROLE

One of the most meaningful parts of Glaser’s story wasn’t just the humor — it was the respect.

“When I took that job, I remember thinking, ‘This person is probably never going to see you as anything other than a nanny,’” she said. “Even good people — whatever they meet you as is kind of what you are to them forever.”

But with Apatow, that never happened.

“He doesn’t look at me that way,” she said. “We don’t talk about it. It’s not a thing. I don’t feel like he sees me as that.”

Today, Glaser and Apatow are working together on a film project — a full-circle moment that highlights how talent, persistence, and being taken seriously can change everything.

A SMALL MOMENT, A BIG IMPACT

The story of Adam Sandler mistaking Nikki Glaser for Judd Apatow’s daughter is funny — but it’s also revealing.

It shows Sandler’s warmth.
It shows Glaser’s journey.
And it shows how small acts of kindness can echo for years.

Sometimes, careers don’t turn on grand gestures.
They turn on small moments — a phone call, a kind question, a smile of encouragement from the front row.

For Nikki Glaser, that first accidental phone call wasn’t just a misunderstanding.

It was the beginning of a memory — and a re