Allen Covert

Early and Personal life

Covert was born in West Palm Beach, Florida, the son of Elizabeth Ann (née Duhy) and Stephen Covert. His father was Jewish, and his mother was a Southern Baptist. He studied theater at New York University, where he was a classmate of Adam Sandler. Covert has served as a performer, writer, and/or producer for almost every film and comedy album Sandler has ever released.

He married Kathryn Ashley Hagstrom on February 14, 2006. Covert and Hagstrom have four children. In July 2019, Hagstrom filed for divorce; it was finalized in November 2019.

Career

Covert's first film role was a cruise ship bartender in Sandler's 1989 film Going Overboard which also was Sandler's first cinematic appearance. Covert had minor parts in several subsequent Sandler films such as Otto the homeless caddy in Happy Gilmore, before his first prominent role in 1998's The Wedding Singer alongside Sandler and Drew Barrymore. Covert would continue to have roles in Sandler's next four films, including one in Little Nicky for which he gained 40 pounds. He eventually settled back into walk-on and single-scene appearances in Sandler's films beginning with 50 First Dates in 2004.

In 2006, Covert starred in the comedy film Grandma's Boy, his first (and only) lead role. Sandler served as an executive producer. Covert has also had small roles in films that neither star nor are produced by Sandler: Never Been Kissed, Late Last Night, and Heavyweights.

Although Covert's on-screen presence has been reduced in recent years, he has served an active role in Sandler's movie production company, Happy Madison Productions, where Covert was an executive producer and sometimes co-writer on most of the company's films. In addition, Covert has contributed heavily to Sandler's many comedy albums, and frequently receives co-songwriting credits on the original songs that Sandler performs in many of his films. In 2023, after the release of Leo, Covert departed from Happy Madison following a three-year hiatus to focus on a family situation. He has revealed plans to found his own production company, with a personal goal for a return of theatrically released R-rated comedy films. Meanwhile, he is currently involved with Meemaw, an upcoming series starring Roseanne Barr. Covert began appearing at fan conventions in April 2024.

Covert appeared as himself, along with Adam Sandler, in an episode of the television series Undeclared. The show's creator, Judd Apatow, is another friend and former college classmate of Covert and Sandler.

Covert cofounded Cherry Tree Books, a publisher of eBooks for children.

Filmography

References

References

1. (November 18, 2004). "LOS ANGELES, CA Political Contributions by Individuals".
2. [https://archive.today/20130411011516/http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EGYyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JrcFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3058,5170704&dq=recent-birth-announcements-given-in-lists-reported-by-local&hl=en Google News]
3. Crawford, Bill. (July 21, 2015). "Adam Sandler: America's Comedian". St. Martin's Griffin.
4. (2019-07-18). "'Grandma's Boy' Star Allen Covert Gets Hit With Divorce from Longtime Wife".
5. Covert, Allen. (2019-11-22). "So I'm signing my final divorce papers on Monday and my ex has the kids next week. I'm thinking it's a Vegas Thanksgiving this year. They have to have a special buffet right".
6. (July 4, 2012). "Cherry Tree digital book series a great way to bring patriotism home".
7. Alliance, Morris County Economic Development. (June 25, 2025). "Adam Sandler Is Making Another Movie in NJ With His Daughter!".
8. Mitra, Soma. (July 12, 2025). "What Is 'Roommates' on Netflix? Everything You Need to Know About the New Comedy Drop".