Warning: This story contains spoilers for Happy Gilmore 2.
Another beloved member of the “Happy Gilmore” cast has joined Chubbs Peterson in the “happy place.”
“Happy Gilmore 2,” which hit Netflix on July 25, begins with the stunning death of one of the main characters from the original 1996 Adam Sandler hit.
The hockey-player-turned-golfer begins the sequel with a voiceover detailing how he married Virginia Venit, the pro golf public relations director played by “Modern Family” star Julie Bowen, after he fell in love with her in the first “Happy Gilmore.”
The two had five children together until a terrible accident changed everything. Sandler’s Happy Gilmore hit one of his rocketing golf shots and the ball struck Virginia in the head, killing her and leaving Happy as a single dad of four boys and a girl.
Fans were not happy to see the fate of Virginia Venit.
“How in the world did you have Happy Gilmore get rid of Virginia 2 minutes into the movie?!” one X user wrote.
“Sucked the energy out seeing Virginia die off,” another wrote.
Bowen, in interviews ahead of the movie’s release, said she thought she might be replaced by a younger actor in the sequel.
“I didn’t think they’d bring me back at all,” Bowen said on the “Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum” podcast. “I mean, who am I supposed to be? He’s got to have a younger woman in this one, ‘Happy Gilmore 2.’”
“Adam’s like, ‘Stop saying that. You’re the heart of the movie,’” she continued.
Bowen’s appearance in the sequel is not just limited to the beginning.
She pops up in multiple spots, including an appearance in the “happy place” that the volatile Gilmore goes in his mind to calm himself and play better. She jokingly forgives him for accidentally killing her.
Virginia joins Chubbs Peterson, the gruff golf instructor played by “Rocky” star Carl Weathers in the original film, as characters who meet a sad demise. Both appear in Gilmore’s “happy place” of pleasant dreams.
Weathers died at 76 in February 2024, and “Happy Gilmore 2” pays tribute to his character in the movie by having his character’s son appear.
Another memorable figure from the first film, legendary “The Price is Right” host Bob Barker, is remembered in video game form in the sequel. Barker, who famously pummels Gilmore in the first movie, died at 99 in 2023.
Richard Kiel, an iconic Bond villain who portrayed a giant Happy Gilmore fan who intimidates rival Shooter McGavin in the first film, is honored by having his character’s son appear in the sequel. Kiel died at 74 in 2014.
There’s also a tribute to the late Frances Bay, who played Happy’s grandmother. Her photo is in the dashboard of Happy’s car.
As for another classic character from the original “Happy Gilmore,” the villainous Shooter (Christopher McDonald) returns for the sequel.
There also are a host of famous cameos, including PGA stars Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, WNBA star Kelsey Plum, as well as NFL star Travis Kelce and singers Post Malone and Bad Bunny.
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