‘The Simpsons’ Writer & Producer Dan McGrath Dies at 61

Martin Holmes November 16, 2025, 8:09 am

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Dan McGrath, Emmy-winning writer and producer known for his work on The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live, and King of the Hill, has died at age 61.
McGrath began his career at The Harvard Lampoon, contributed to SNL, and wrote or produced numerous acclaimed episodes of The Simpsons.
He is remembered for his significant impact on animated television and is survived by his mother, siblings, nephew, and nieces.

Dan McGrath, an Emmy Award-winning writer and producer who worked on shows such as The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live, and King of the Hill, has died. He was 61.

His sister, Gail McGrath Garabadian, confirmed the passing on her Facebook page early Saturday morning (November 15). “We lost my incredible brother Danny yesterday,” Garabadian wrote. “He was a special man, one of a kind. An incredible son, brother, uncle and friend. Our hearts are broken.”

According to The Wrap, citing Garabadian, McGrath died in a Brooklyn hospital on Friday, November 14, after having a stroke. A funeral service is scheduled for Tuesday, November 18, at St. Patrick’s Church in Brooklyn, New York, per McLaughlinAndSons.com.

McGrath began his writing career while attending Harvard University, serving as a writer, editor, and cartoonist at The Harvard Lampoon, where he was twice elected a vice president. He also co-founded the avant-garde theatre company The Kronauer Group (later to become the Cornerstone Theater Company) while at Harvard.

His television career started in 1991 as a writer at Saturday Night Live, earning his first Emmy nomination in 1992 for his work with Chris Farley and Adam Sandler on the long-running NBC sketch series. McGrath left SNL after just two seasons for a job at The Simpsons, where he’d go on to write 50 episodes, producing half of those.

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He was a regular contributor to the “Treehouse of Horror” Halloween episodes and, in 1997, he won an Emmy Award for the episode “Homer’s Phobia.” McGrath also had writing credits on the popular episodes “Boy-Scoutz ‘n the Hood,” “Bart of Darkness,” and “Time and Punishment.”

McGrath also worked on King of the Hill, producing 28 episodes and having writing credits on 11. His other credits included the animated shows Mission Hill, Gravity Falls, and The PJs.

“His prodigious talents and singular personality will be missed by many devoted friends,” reads his obituary.

McGrath is survived by his mother, Eleanor; his brother Michael and wife Caroline; his brother Peter; his sister, Gail; his nephew Dillon, and his nieces Kylie and Emma.