Ellen DeGeneres producer Matt Wright’s family reveal he died ‘peacefully in his sleep’
The longtime television executive’s loved ones have launched a fundraising appeal to cover funeral and transportation costs, with his former boss donating $5,000 and revealing they had been planning another project together.
Matt Wright, the longtime producer of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, died unexpectedly in his sleep while visiting Los Angeles, his family has revealed.
The television executive, 52, who worked alongside Ellen DeGeneres, 68, for 16 years until her daytime talk show ended in 2022, died last week, according to a statement shared on GoFundMe.
His family is raising money to return his body to New York and cover funeral expenses, with Ellen among those contributing to the appeal.
In the fundraising statement, his family has now said Matt had died “peacefully in his sleep”, describing his death as “sudden”.
They explained the costs of transporting his body across the country and arranging his funeral were “unexpected costs” that were “impossible for the family to bear”.
The statement read: “If Matt has ever made you laugh, said an encouraging word right when you needed it, or ordered one too many appetizers for the enjoyment of the whole table, now is the time to repay the favour.”
The family said any additional donations would be used to support Matt's niece Samantha, whom they described as his “pride and joy”.
By Wednesday (04.11.26), the appeal had raised more than $94,000, including a $5,000 donation from Ellen.
The former talk-show host also paid tribute to Matt in an emotional Instagram video on Monday, recalling his humour and the important role he played behind the scenes of her long-running programme.
Ellen said: “God, he was an amazing guy.”
She added: “He made me laugh, he would surprise me with things he did all the time. He was smart, he was kind… I mean, everyone loved him. I loved him. And it’s just shocking, it’s shocking.”
Matt joined The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2006 and remained with the production until its final season in 2022.
During that time, he worked as an executive producer and appeared in comedy segments alongside Ellen, becoming a familiar figure to viewers of the daytime programme.
The show, which ran for 19 seasons, became one of America's best-known television talk shows, featuring celebrity interviews, comedy sketches and audience giveaways.
Ellen also revealed she and Matt had been preparing to collaborate on another project before his death, although she did not disclose details of the planned production.
The comedian spoke about Matt's friendship with Stephen “tWitch” Boss, the former DJ and executive producer of her show, who died by suicide aged 40 in December 2022.
Reflecting on their relationship, Ellen said: “So now he and Twitch are together, dancing and laughing.”
Matt's death comes four years after the end of Ellen's daytime programme, which concluded in May 2022 following allegations about its workplace culture.
The comedian, who first became widely known through her sitcom Ellen and later hosted The Ellen DeGeneres Show, returned to stand-up comedy with her 2024 Netflix special, Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval.
The special addressed her departure from daytime television and the controversy surrounding her former programme.
Matt was originally from Poughkeepsie, New York, where he grew up in a large Italian-American family.
According to his GoFundMe page, his upbringing encouraged a lifelong enthusiasm for food, celebrations and lively family discussions.
He studied communications at the State University of New York at New Paltz before moving to New York City to pursue a career in television production.
His first industry experience came through an internship on The Sally Jessy Raphael Show, the daytime talk programme that ran from 1983 until 2002.
Matt later relocated to Los Angeles, where he worked on Soap Talk, a television discussion programme presented by Lisa Rinna, 63, and Ty Treadway, before joining Ellen's production team.
He subsequently built a career across several prominent American daytime television programmes.
His credits included The Jennifer Hudson Show, hosted by Oscar-winning singer and actor Jennifer Hudson, 45, who rose to fame on American Idol before appearing in Dreamgirls.
He also worked on The View, the long-running ABC daytime discussion programme, and The Drew Barrymore Show, hosted by actor Drew Barrymore, 51.
Matt's obituary also detailed his close family relationships and the importance he placed on spending time with relatives.
He is survived by his husband, Justin Fusella, his father, David Wright, his sister, Mandy Wright, and his niece Samantha.
