Ellen DeGeneres pays heartbreaking tribute to talk show producer Matthew Wright after his death
Ellen DeGeneres has been left heartbroken by the death of his eponymous talk show's longtime executive producer Matthew Wright.
Ellen DeGeneres has paid a tearful tribute to her talk show's producer Matthew Wright after his death.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show's former executive producer - who worked on the daytime staple for 16 years - died aged 52 on October 30 in what his family described as an "unfathomable tragedy" on a GoFundMe page, while his cause of death has not been confirmed.
In an emotional Instagram video on Monday (02.11.26), DeGeneres, 68, said: “Hi, everybody. So, Matt Wright, who was our executive producer and was featured on our show a lot, died the other day. And he was an amazing guy. He was funny. God, he made me laugh.
“He would surprise me with things that he did all the time. He was smart and he was kind. He was a part of our show. I mean, everyone loved him. I loved him, and it's just shocking."
DeGeneres hasn't hosted a television programme since her eponymous show ended in 2022, but she and Wright were "working on a project together" which they were "supposed to start" before his death.
She added: "We had just been... anyway. We're gonna miss him. He is, and always will be, the glue to our entire family at the Ellen Show. I think this is gonna be a really... I dunno what I'm saying. Anyway.
"And to Justin, his husband, and to his family... I'm so sorry, because we lost a good guy. He was a good guy. And he and tWitch were so close, so now he and tWitch are together, dancing and laughing."
Ellen co-executive producer and DJ Stephen 'tWitch' Boss took his own life in 2022.
Meanwhile, Andy Lassner - who also worked as an executive producer on Ellen's show, revealed he was with Wright just "hours" before he died.
He had visited Lassner on The Jennifer Hudson Show set, but hours later "he was gone".
He wrote on Instagram: "Matt came by to visit. A few hours later, he was gone. We are all in shock.
"He was a brilliant producer and an even better human being.
"The way he looked after his mom, flying back and forth from Los Angeles to New York practically every weekend before she died, showed what an incredible son he was.
"He gave that same depth of love to his friendships. My heart breaks for his husband, Justin, his family, and all of us who loved him.
"I was so lucky to work beside Matt for so many years and to call him my friend. We should have had so much more time with him."
