Ancient The Ellen DeGeneres Show Executive producer Matthew Wright died Friday in what a GoFundMe campaign for his family called an “unfathomable tragedy.” He was 52 years old, according to reports.
Wright died while working remotely in Los Angeles, according to GoFundMe, while his family is in New York. Wright and her husband were “laid off this summer,” GoFundMe states.
“And the unexpected costs of bringing Matt home, attending a funeral and a memorial are impossible for the family to bear,” the GoFundMe reads. “If Matt has ever made you laugh, said a word of encouragement just when you needed it, or ordered one appetizer too many for the whole table to enjoy, now is the time to return the favor. Please donate what you can and share it with everyone who has been in the orbit of Matt’s huge heart. And when you’re at dinner and you see a sunset, know that Matt is looking down, loving you, but extremely disappointed of what you ordered.
DeGeneres posted a tearful video to Instagram on Monday remembering Wright, who worked on her show from 2006 until its finale in 2022.
“He was an amazing guy. He was funny. God, he made me laugh. He surprised me with the things he did all the time. He was smart. He was kind. He was part of our show that – I mean, everyone loved him. I loved him. And it’s just shocking – it’s shocking. We’re going to miss him. He is and always will be the glue of our whole family to The Ellen Show.”
DeGeneres also noted that Wright was close to the former Helene DJ Stephen “tWitch” Boss, who died in 2022, saying she believes the two are now reunited in the afterlife, “dancing and laughing.”
DeGeneres ended her tribute with a compilation of some of Wright’s funniest moments on his show, including a video of him jokingly chastising restaurants for bringing too many entrees to the table at once in a segment titled “Strong Opinions with Matt.”
Former comrade Helene Executive producer Andy Lassner also took to Instagram to remember Wright, sharing photos of himself with Wright on the set of The Jennifer Hudson Show Thursday, where Lassner now works as executive producer, which Lassner said were taken “just hours” before Wright’s death.
“We are all in shock. He was a brilliant producer and an even better human being,” Lassner wrote in the caption. “The way he cared for his mother, traveling back and forth from Los Angeles to New York virtually every weekend before her death, showed what an incredible son he was. He gave the 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 alongside Matt for so many years and call him my friend. We should have spent many years more time with him.”
Ancient The real co-host Loni Love also paid tribute to Wright, writing on Facebook that she was “devastated and heartbroken” to learn of his death.
“He was such a talented, lovely man and always ready for anything. I can’t believe he’s gone,” she wrote. “What a pleasure to have known him. I send my love and deepest condolences to his husband, his family and all those who loved him.”
The fundraising project, which sought to raise $50,000 for a funeral and memorial as well as a trust for his niece, had already surpassed its goal as of Monday afternoon.
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