The Hollywood Reporter reports that Craig Kellem died on November 24, 2025, at the age of 82 at his assisted living home in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. Kellem was an agent for comic legends such as Lily Tomlin (80 For Brady, Moving On) and George Carlin (Master’s Tall Tales, Thomas & Friends: Engine Friends), and he was the producer for season one of Saturday Night Live. He also produced the reboots of shows such as The Munsters, Dragnet, and Adam-12.

According to THR, Kellmen was born in Philadelphia on January 24, 1943, to Milton Kellem and Judy Shinn. His father was a songwriter, orchestra conductor for radio, and a restaurateur, while his mother was a model and weather girl for a local TV station.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kellem had a long career in show business, starting as an assistant before becoming an agent at Creative Management Associates. Later, he joined General Amusement Corp, where he served as a junior agent in the late 1960s, booking Carlin as a client. The two men were together again, as Carlin served as the first host for the first episode of SNL. Kellem also worked on the talk show, Sammy and Company, starring Sammy Davis Jr.

“We almost didn’t get on the air because dress rehearsal went so poorly,” Kellem remembered in the 2002 book, Live From New York: The Complete Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live via THR. “I remember Lorne seriously asking the network people — or having me ask them — to have a movie ready to go, just in case. And I don’t think he was kidding.”

Kellem and Lorne Michaels both worked alongside one another as producers and talent coordinators for SNL’s 1975-76 season. According to The Hollywood Reporter, both men also produced shows like The Rules: All You Need Is Cash, which aired as a mockumentary on NBC in 1978. The show was about a band similar to the Beatles and was written and directed by Eric Idle (Monty Python Live, What About Dick?).

The Hollywood Reporter noted that Kellem and his daughter, Judy Hammett, were partners for the script consulting firm, Hollywoodscript.com, founded in 1998. The two of them also wrote a book together, Get It On The Page: Top Consultants Show You How.

Kellem is survived by his wife, Vivienne; two more children, Sean and Joelle; a brother; four grandchildren; and nieces and nephews. The family asks that any donations in his name be sent to The Alzheimer’s Association.