Ellen DeGeneres broke down in tears while announcing the sudden death of Matthew Wright, a beloved longtime executive producer of her former talk show, revealing that the two had been planning to work together again before his unexpected passing.
Wright, 52, died Friday, October 30, while working in Los Angeles, leaving his family, friends and former colleagues devastated. His cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.
In an emotional Instagram video shared Monday, November 2, DeGeneres, 68, struggled to hold back tears as she remembered the man who spent 16 years helping make The Ellen DeGeneres Show a daytime television staple.
“He was an amazing guy,” DeGeneres said. “He was funny. God, he made me laugh.”
The comedian recalled Wright’s quick wit, kindness and the unexpected surprises he regularly brought to the show, where he frequently appeared in memorable comedy segments.
“He was smart, and he was kind,” she continued, her voice breaking as she described how deeply he was loved by the show’s cast and crew.
DeGeneres revealed that she and Wright had recently reconnected professionally and were preparing to begin a new project together, making his sudden death even more difficult to comprehend.
She described Wright as the person who helped hold their television family together, calling him “the glue” of the Ellen show.
The heartbreaking tribute grew even more emotional when DeGeneres mentioned Wright’s husband, Justin Fusella, and his close friendship with Stephen “tWitch” Boss, the show’s beloved DJ and executive producer who died in December 2022.
“So now he and tWitch are together, dancing and laughing,” she said before becoming too overwhelmed to continue.
The video ended with a montage of Wright’s funniest appearances on the show, giving fans a touching reminder of the personality that made him so popular behind the scenes and on camera.
Wright’s death came just hours after he visited another former Ellen executive producer, Andy Lassner, on the set of The Jennifer Hudson Show on October 29.
Lassner shared photographs from their final reunion, revealing that he had no idea it would be the last time he saw his longtime friend.
“A few hours later, he was gone,” Lassner wrote. “We are all in shock.”
He remembered Wright as a gifted television producer and an even better person, praising his kindness, loyalty and devotion to his family.
The tragedy has also created an unexpected financial hardship for Wright’s loved ones. A GoFundMe campaign organized by friends revealed that Wright and his husband had both been laid off during the summer, leaving the family struggling to cover funeral arrangements and the cost of transporting his body from Los Angeles to New York.
The fundraiser described his passing as an “unfathomable tragedy” and said donations would help his husband, father, sister and niece give him a proper farewell. Any remaining funds would go toward a trust for his niece, Sami, whom friends described as his pride and joy.
DeGeneres reportedly contributed $5,000 to the fundraiser, joining former colleagues and friends who have rallied around the family.
Wright worked on The Ellen DeGeneres Show from 2006 until its final episode in 2022. When the program ended after 19 seasons, he reflected on the friendships, experiences and personal relationships it had brought into his life, expressing gratitude for the opportunity that changed his career.
Now, just four years after the show’s finale, his sudden death has brought another painful loss to the close-knit group of television personalities who spent years entertaining millions of viewers.
For DeGeneres, the grief was evident as she struggled to finish her tribute to a colleague she had hoped to work alongside once more.
“We lost a good guy,” she said.