Ellen DeGeneres Pays Tearful Tribute To Longtime Producer Matthew Wright
For 16 years, Matthew Wright was a key part of the team behind ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’. He worked as an executive producer on the daytime talk show from 2006 until it ended in 2022, and many of his colleagues came to see him as family.
When the show wrapped, Wright posted a farewell on Instagram. He thanked the show for taking a chance on him and changing his life, and said he had met some of his heroes, made many best friends, and fallen in love during his time there.
Wright died on October 30 at the age of 52, according to a fundraising page created by his family. The page called his death an unfathomable tragedy, and no cause of death has been disclosed.
According to TheWrap, he died while working remotely in Los Angeles. The family is raising money to bring his remains home and to cover funeral and memorial costs, and the page noted that Wright and his husband, Justin, were both laid off over the summer.
DeGeneres shared her grief in an emotional video posted on Instagram on Monday. Through tears, she described Wright as an amazing person who was funny, smart, and kind, and said he made her laugh constantly.
She recalled that he was always surprising her with thoughtful gestures, and said everyone on the show loved him, herself included. DeGeneres called the news shocking and revealed that the 2 had been working on a project together that they were about to start.
The host described Wright as the glue to the entire family at ‘The Ellen Show’. She offered her condolences to his husband, Justin, and his family, saying they had all lost a good guy.
DeGeneres ended her message with a tender image. She noted that Wright had been especially close to Twitch, the show’s beloved DJ, and said she pictures the 2 of them together now, dancing and laughing.
Other members of the show’s family also paid tribute. Longtime producer Andy Lassner posted photos of the 2 of them on Instagram on Sunday and wrote that everyone was in shock. Lassner called Wright a brilliant producer and an even better person. He said he had seen Wright on the day he died and that they should have had more time with him.
Ellen DeGeneres’s 52-y/o longtime exec producer, Matt Wright, tragically died on Oct 30, while working in LA. His fam is in NY & started a GFM to help with expenses. Ellen donated $5k. https://t.co/tjaVWhHv6O
— Dana Parish (@danaparish) November 3, 2026
Just days before his death, Wright visited Lassner on the set of ‘The Jennifer Hudson Show’, where Lassner is an executive producer, during the taping of its Halloween episode. Lassner also shared how devoted Wright was to his family, noting that he flew between Los Angeles and New York almost every weekend to care for his mother before she died.
Wright is survived by his husband, Justin, as well as his father, sister, and niece, who live in New York. Lassner said his heart breaks for Justin, Wright’s family and everyone who loved him.
The tributes paint a picture of someone who was valued as much for his warmth as for his work. For a show built on kindness and connection, Wright seems to have embodied that spirit behind the scenes.
Fans of ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ have shared their condolences online, with many thanking the crew for years of joyful television. Wright’s colleagues hope he will be remembered for the laughter he brought to everyone around him.
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