Ellen DeGeneres has acknowledged the recent Democratic victories in the midterm elections, sharing her celebration on Instagram alongside her wife, Portia de Rossi. This comes days after the sudden death of her longtime producer, Matthew Wright, who passed away at 52.
DeGeneres, who has previously expressed a preference for living in England after the 2016 US presidential election, tagged several elected Democratic officials in her social media post. Among those highlighted were New Hampshire Senator-elect Chris Pappas, Texas Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa, Michigan Senator-elect Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, Georgia Governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms, and New Mexico Governor-elect Deb Haaland.
The news of DeGeneres' political endorsement follows a period of mourning for Matthew Wright. Wright, a producer on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" for 16 years, died on October 30 in Los Angeles. While his cause of death was not publicly disclosed, a GoFundMe page established for his family stated he died "suddenly but peacefully in his sleep." DeGeneres posted a tearful video tribute to Wright, remembering him as a "glue" to their show's family and noting his close friendship with the late Stephen Boss.
DeGeneres had previously donated $5,000 to Wright's memorial fund. Fellow executive producer Andy Lassner also shared his shock at Wright's passing, having seen him just hours before his death. Lassner described Wright as a "brilliant producer and an even better human being."