Matthew Wright, a nine-time Emmy-winning producer for The Ellen DeGeneres Show, died suddenly at the age of 52. His family revealed that he passed away peacefully in his sleep on October 30 in Los Angeles, according to an update on a GoFundMe page established to support them.
Ellen DeGeneres paid tribute to Wright in a tearful video shared on Monday, remembering him as "an amazing guy" who was "funny, smart, and kind." She noted his integral role on the show, stating he was "the glue to our entire family at the Ellen Show."
DeGeneres also mentioned Wright's close relationship with the late tWitch (Stephen Boss), the show's co-executive producer who died by suicide in 2022. "He and tWitch were so close. And now he and tWitch are together, dancing and laughing," DeGeneres said.
Wright worked on The Ellen DeGeneres Show for 16 years. Following the show's conclusion in 2022 amidst controversy over its workplace environment, Wright reflected on his time there, writing, "I’ve made so many best friends, had so many amazing experiences, met so many heroes of mine 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!
Andy Lassner, a fellow executive producer on the show, shared that he had seen Wright just hours before his death. "These photos were taken Thursday, while we were taping our Halloween show. Matt came by to visit. A few hours later, he was gone," Lassner wrote on Instagram. He described Wright as "a brilliant producer and an even better human being" and highlighted Wright's devotion to his mother, flying frequently between Los Angeles and New York to care for her before her passing.
The GoFundMe page has raised over $94,000, with DeGeneres contributing $5,000. The page describes Wright as having "curated a beautiful life, menu by menu, sunset by sunset, person by person" and states he "will be remembered for being everything everyone loved—sweetly stubborn and stubbornly sweet, persistently curious and curiously persistent, profoundly loving and lovingly profound."