Longtime The Ellen DeGeneres Show executive producer Matthew “Matt” Wright has died at 52 in what his family described as an “unfathomable tragedy.” Wright passed away on Friday, October 30, 2026, while working remotely in Los Angeles, according to a GoFundMe campaign set up to help his family cover funeral and memorial expenses. His husband, father, sister, and niece are in New York and are trying to bring him home for a proper goodbye.
The news was confirmed by multiple outlets, including Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, both of which reported that no cause of death has been disclosed. Wright worked on The Ellen DeGeneres Show for 16 years, from 2006 until the show ended in 2022. He was also known to viewers for appearing in comedy segments on the daytime talk show.
Who Was Matt Wright
Matt Wright joined The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2006 and stayed with the program until its final season in 2022. Over those 16 years, he rose through production roles and became an executive producer. He was not just a behind-the-scenes figure. Wright frequently appeared on camera in humorous bits, including a recurring segment called “Strong Opinions With Matt,” where he jokingly scolded restaurants for bringing too many appetizers to the table at once.
After Ellen ended, Wright continued working in daytime television. According to his LinkedIn profile cited by The Economic Times, he served as a consulting producer on The Jennifer Hudson Show and later became a senior supervising producer on The Drew Barrymore Show in August 2023. He was a nine-time Emmy Award-winning producer, according to IBTimes UK.
Wright was also a graduate of SUNY New Paltz, according to the New York Daily News.
Family Shares News Through GoFundMe
Wright’s family announced his death through a GoFundMe page created to support his husband, Justin, and other family members. The fundraiser’s description called his passing an “unfathomable tragedy” and explained that Wright died while working remotely in Los Angeles on October 30.
The family wrote that Wright’s husband, father, sister, and niece are in New York and are “desperate to be reunited for a proper goodbye.” The page also shared that Wright and his husband, Justin, were both laid off earlier in the summer. The family said the unexpected costs of transporting Wright’s remains home, holding a funeral, and planning a memorial are “impossible for the family to bear.”
“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,” the GoFundMe page reads. “Please donate what you can and share this with anyone who’s been in the orbit of Matt’s huge heart.”
The fundraiser set a goal of $50,000. By Monday, November 2, the page had raised more than $56,000, surpassing its target, according to MyNewsLA.com. Ellen DeGeneres personally donated $5,000 to the campaign, The Independent reported.
Ellen DeGeneres Shares Tearful Video Tribute
Ellen DeGeneres posted an emotional video on Instagram on Monday, November 2, confirming Wright’s death and remembering him as a central figure in the show’s family. Fighting back tears, DeGeneres called Wright “the glue to our entire family.”
“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,” DeGeneres said in the video.
DeGeneres also revealed that she and Wright were planning to work on a new project together before his death. “We were working on a project to do together that we were supposed to start,” she said, according to The Economic Times. She ended her tribute with a montage of Wright’s funniest moments from the show, including clips from “Strong Opinions With Matt.”
Andy Lassner and Loni Love Pay Tribute
Andy Lassner, another former executive producer on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, shared photos of himself and Wright on the set of The Jennifer Hudson Show taken just hours before Wright died. Lassner, who now works as an executive producer on Hudson’s show, wrote on Instagram that everyone who knew Wright is in shock.
“He was a brilliant producer and an even better human being,” Lassner wrote. “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.”
Loni Love, former co-host of The Real, also paid tribute to Wright on Facebook. She wrote that she was “devastated and heartbroken” to hear about his passing, calling him a “talented, sweet man” who was “always game for anything.”
Matt Wright and Stephen tWitch Boss Were Close
DeGeneres also spoke about Wright’s friendship with Stephen “tWitch” Boss, the former DJ and executive producer on The Ellen DeGeneres Show who died in December 2022 at age 40. DeGeneres said the two men were very close and imagined them together again.
“He and tWitch were so close. So now he and tWitch are together, dancing and laughing,” DeGeneres said in her video.
The connection between Wright and Boss was a meaningful part of the Ellen family story. Boss’s death in 2022 was a major loss for the show’s team, and DeGeneres’s comments on Monday made clear that Wright’s passing has brought back that grief for the people who worked on the program.
A Show Family Reunited in Grief
Wright’s death has brought reactions from people who worked with him across daytime television. The Ellen DeGeneres Show ran for 19 seasons from 2003 to 2022, and Wright was part of the production team for most of that run. His work as an executive producer made him a key decision-maker on the show, while his on-camera appearances made him a familiar face to viewers.
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The GoFundMe page continues to accept donations to help Wright’s family with the costs of bringing him home and holding a funeral and memorial. The campaign’s description asks friends and supporters to remember Wright’s sense of humor and generosity.
“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,” the family wrote on the fundraiser page.
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Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, The Independent
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