Ellen DeGeneres Mourns Producer Matthew Wright After Tragic Death

Matthew Wright, a former executive producer of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, has died suddenly at the age of 52.

Wright died in what his family described as an “unfathomable tragedy” in Los Angeles on October 30, according to a GoFundMe campaign established to support his loved ones. On Monday, DeGeneres, 68, shared an emotional video tribute in which she sobbed while remembering her former colleague.

“His husband, father, sister and niece are in New York, desperate to be reunited for a proper goodbye. We’re asking for all of his friends, who Matt loved so fully, to help the family at this time,” the fundraiser’s description states.

“As many of you know, Matt & Justin were both laid off this summer. The unexpected costs of bringing Matt home, arranging a funeral and holding a memorial are impossible for the family to bear.”

DeGeneres said: “He was an amazing guy. He was funny—God, he made me laugh. He would surprise me with things he did all the time.

“He was smart, he was kind, and he was part of our show. Everyone loved him.”

Former The Ellen DeGeneres Show executive producer Matthew Wright has died suddenly at the age of 52

Wright died in an “unfathomable tragedy” in Los Angeles on October 30, according to a GoFundMe campaign created to support his devastated family. DeGeneres, 68, posted an emotional video tribute to her former colleague on Monday

Wright, who worked on the show for 16 years, is pictured at center with his family and husband Justin

Tearing up, she continued: “I loved him, and it’s just shocking. We were working on a project together that we were supposed to start.

“We’re going to miss him. He is, and always will be, the glue that held our entire family at the Ellen show together.

“I’m so sorry because we lost a good guy.

“He and tWitch [the late Stephen Boss, who died by suicide in 2022] were so close. And now he and tWitch are together, dancing and laughing.”

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Wright spent 16 years working on the talk show. After the program ended in 2022 amid controversy surrounding allegations of a toxic workplace, he reflected on his time there, writing: “How do I even begin to sum up 16 years of my life?

“I made so many best friends, had countless amazing experiences, met many of my heroes and even fell in love thanks to this show.

“I will forever be grateful to @theellenshow for taking a chance on me and changing my life. Here’s to an amazing run!”

Andy Lassner, a fellow executive producer on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, said he had seen Wright just “hours” before his death.

DeGeneres said, “He and tWitch [the late Stephen Boss, who died by suicide in 2022] were so close. And now he and tWitch are together, dancing and laughing,” pictured together on the show

Wright is pictured with Jennifer Aniston on the hit show

Andy Lassner, a fellow executive producer on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, said he had seen Wright just “hours” before his death, pictured Thursday

He wrote on Instagram: “These photos were taken Thursday while we were taping our Halloween show. 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 cared for his mother, flying back and forth from Los Angeles to New York practically every weekend before she died, showed what an incredible son he was.”

“My heart breaks for his husband, Justin, his family and everyone who loved him. I was so lucky to work alongside Matt for so many years and to call him my friend. We should have had so much more time with him.”