Ellen DeGeneres Breaks Her Silence on Devastating Loss – ‘He Was Part of Our Show’

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Ellen DeGeneres

Matthew “Matt” Wright, a former executive producer on the “Ellen DeGeneres Show,” has passed away at 52. Wright worked on the long-running daytime talk show for 16 years, remaining with the series from its first season until its end in 2022. Now, following his passing, DeGeneres is speaking out.

Wright’s passing was confirmed by a GoFundMe page launched to support his family. “In an unfathomable tragedy, Matt Wright passed away Oct. 30th while working remotely in Los Angeles,” the fundraiser began.

“His husband, father, sister, and niece are in New York, desperate to be reunited for a proper goodbye. We’re asking for all of his friends, who Matt loved so fully, to help the family at this time.”

After that, the GoFundMe highlighted the fact that both Wright and his husband, Justin, had been out of work since the summer after being laid off. The post continued, “And the unexpected costs of getting Matt home, a funeral, and a memorial are impossible for the family to bear.”

All funds from the donation site will go toward moving Wright’s remains, a funeral in NY, a memorial in LA, and a trust fund for Wright’s niece.

Ellen DeGeneres Posted an Emotional Video

DeGeneres took to Instagram on November 2 to break her silence on Wright’s passing. “Hi Everybody,” the former daytime talk show host began. After that, she struggled to find the correct words before composing herself.

“So, Matthew Wright, who was our executive producer and was featured on our show a lot, died the other day.” After that, she tried fighting back tears before saying, “He was an amazing guy. He was funny. God, he made me laugh.”

She then recalled how Wright would surprise her when he worked on the daytime talk show. “He was smart, he was kind, he was a part of our show that- everyone loved him. Everyone loved him. I loved him.”

Clearly grieving the loss, DeGeneres went on to call Wright’s death “shocking.” She then revealed that she and Wright had been working on a project together.

“We’re gonna miss him. He is and always will be the glue to our entire family at the ‘Ellen Show.'” From there, she offered kind words to Wright’s husband before calling the former staffer “a good guy.”

She then mentioned Stephen Boss, saying that Wright was close with the late DJ. “Now he and tWitch are together dancing and laughing.” The heartfelt video then showed clips of Wright on “Ellen,” including the “Strong Opinions with Matt” segment from the former talk show.

He Will Be Missed

As mentioned, Wright began with “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in 2006 and remained with the series until it ended in 2022. Other credits related to the comedian include “Ellen’s Game of Games” and “Ellen’s Bigger, Longer, and Wider Show.”

He also has credits on “The Jennifer Hudson Show” and “The Drew Barrymore Show.” Wright spoke about his experience working on “Ellen” in 2022.

“The last episode of ‘Ellen’ airs today, and I’ve been dreading what to post. How do I even begin to sum up 16 years of my life? 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! Here’s to an amazing run!”