Former ‘Ellen’ Executive Producer Matthew Wright Dies as Ellen DeGeneres Posts Tearful Video Calling Him “The Glue to Our Entire Family”

Former The Ellen DeGeneres Show executive producer Matthew Wright died Friday in what a GoFundMe campaign for his family calls an “unfathomable tragedy.” He was 52, according to reports.

Wright died while working remotely in Los Angeles, according to the GoFundMe, while his family is in New York. Both Wright and his husband were “laid off this summer,” the GoFundMe states.

“And the unexpected costs of getting Matt home, a funeral and a memorial are impossible for the family to bear,” the GoFundMe reads. “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 favor. Please donate what you can and share this with anyone who’s been in the orbit of Matt’s huge heart. And when you’re at dinner and see a sunset, know that Matt is looking down, loving you, but wildly disappointed in what you ordered.”

DeGeneres posted a tearful video on Instagram Monday remembering Wright, who worked on her show from 2006 to its finale in 2022.

“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. He was kind. He was the part of our show that — I mean, everyone loved him. I loved him. And it’s just shocking — it’s shocking. We’re gonna miss him. He is and always will be the glue to our entire family at The Ellen Show.”

DeGeneres also noted that Wright was close with former Ellen DJ Stephen “tWitch” Boss, who died in 2022, saying she believes the two are now reunited in the afterlife, “dancing and laughing.”

DeGeneres ended her tribute with a compilation of some of Wright’s funniest moments on her show, including a video of him jokingly admonishing restaurants for bringing too many appetizers to the table at once in a segment called “Strong Opinions With Matt.”

Fellow former Ellen executive producer Andy Lassner also took to Instagram to remember Wright, sharing photos of himself with Wright on the set of The Jennifer Hudson Show on Thursday, where Lassner now works as a executive producer, which Lassner said were taken “hours” before Wright died.

“We are all in shock. He was a brilliant producer and an even better human being,” Lassner wrote in the caption. “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.”

Former The Real co-host Loni Love also paid tribute to Wright, writing on Facebook that she was “devastated and heartbroken” to hear that he died.

“He was such a talented, sweet man and always game for anything. I cannot believe he’s gone,” she wrote. “What a pleasure it was to have known him. Sending love and heartfelt condolences to his husband, family and all who loved him.”

The fundraising post, which sought to raise $50,000 for a funeral and memorial as well as a trust for his niece, had already surpassed its goal by Monday afternoon.