Jake Goldberg is set to return to the Grown Ups series more than 10 years after his last appearance, following a long break from acting that saw him move into a very different line of work.
Goldberg played Greg Feder, the son of Adam Sandler’s character Lenny, in the 2010 hit comedy and came back for Grown Ups 2 in 2013.
The ensemble cast included Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek, Maya Rudolph and Maria Bello, and many of those names are now returning for a third film at Netflix.
While the franchise continued to be a familiar part of his career history, Goldberg spent years away from Hollywood. After stepping back from acting, he studied at the University of Colorado Boulder and began building a strong online presence in an entirely different space.
He is now widely recognised as a food creator, with a large audience across social media.
Posting under the name ‘silly_jake’, Goldberg shares recipes, cooking clips and food tastings with an Instagram following of over 413,000. On TikTok, he has amassed more than 386,000 followers and 11.7 million likes, while his Instagram bio also points fans toward a page where his recipes are collected.
His content is largely focused on food, from simple snacks to full dishes and individual ingredients, though he has remained open about the acting roles that first brought him public attention. In 2025, Goldberg also appeared on the culinary competition series Next Level Chef, which aired on FOX and Hulu.
Goldberg’s TikTok bio still reads: “That kid from Grown Ups and Pablo in the Backyardigans.”
Before appearing in Grown Ups, he was also known to younger viewers as the voice of Pablo the Penguin in The Backyardigans.
After Grown Ups 2, however, acting took a back seat. In 2023, Goldberg addressed that period after a follower on TikTok asked if he was still in touch with Sandler.
He replied: “For those who don’t know I was Greg Fader in Grown Ups 1 and Grown Ups 2, Adam Sandler’s son.
“The answer to your question is no I don’t. He’s had a lot of stuff, I was also super young. I stopped acting for five years, went to college and all that good stuff.”
He also suggested there was no bad blood, saying: “It’s been a while, I should reach out though, see how he’s doing. Great guy.”
Now, the two are heading back to the same franchise together.
Variety reported that Netflix confirmed on August 6 that Goldberg will appear in Grown Ups 3 alongside Sandler and returning cast members including James, Rock, Spade, Schneider, Hayek, Rudolph and Bello.
The film will also see the return of supporting cast members including Steve Buscemi, Jackie Sandler, Shaquille O’Neal, Colin Quinn, Tim Meadows, Cheri Oteri, Ellen Cleghorne and Nick Swardson. New cast additions include Julie Bowen, Deon Cole and Bailee Madison.
Filming is underway across multiple locations including New Jersey, Boston, France and Italy. Sandler wrote the script with longtime collaborator Tim Herlihy, while Kyle Newacheck is directing.
The official logline reads: “Now that their kids are all grown up, the gang is finally free to go on the ultimate adventure.”