Ellen DeGeneres has spoken out after the cause of death was revealed for her longtime producer Matthew Wright.
Wright, 52, died from cardiopulmonary arrest on Oct. 30 in Los Angeles, according to a death certificate obtained by multiple outlets. Hypertension was listed as an underlying cause, with obstructive sleep apnea and Class II obesity noted as contributing factors. The producer had been working remotely at the time of his death.
DeGeneres, 68, posted an Instagram video on Nov. 2 reflecting on Wright’s sudden passing.
“God, he was an amazing guy,” she shared on the platform. “He made me laugh; he would surprise me with things he did all the time.”
“He was smart, he was kind … I mean, everyone loved him,” she continued in the same video. “I loved him. And it’s just shocking, it’s shocking.”
Wright’s family described his death as “an unfathomable tragedy” in a GoFundMe campaign created to help his husband, Justin, cover funeral and memorial costs. The fundraiser noted that both Matt and Justin had been laid off earlier this summer, leaving the family unable to bear the unexpected expenses of bringing Matt home and arranging services.
DeGeneres donated $5,000 to the campaign, which sparked online debate after social media users pointed out that the comedian could have covered the entire $50,000 goal herself. The fundraiser was reached and surpassed by Tuesday morning after nearly 400 donations.
Wright began his 16-year run on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in 2006 and stayed until the program ended in 2022. He rose to executive producer during his tenure and became a familiar on-camera presence, frequently participating in comedic bits with the host.
DeGeneres highlighted his recurring segment “Strong Opinions with Matt” in her Instagram tribute, sharing clips of his appearances over the years. The segment showcased Wright’s deadpan humor and willingness to play the straight man to DeGeneres’s antics.
Jennifer Hudson revealed that Wright had been on set with her just one day before his death, according to reporting on the tragedy. The detail underscored how suddenly the producer’s health declined.
The GoFundMe page emphasized the financial precarity the family faced after the layoffs. “The unexpected costs of getting Matt home, a funeral and a memorial are impossible for the family to bear,” the page read.
DeGeneres has been living in England with wife Portia de Rossi since late 2024, making her social media tribute one of her few public statements from abroad. She has largely stepped back from public life since her daytime talk show concluded.
In her 2024 Netflix comedy special “For Your Approval,” DeGeneres addressed the fallout from the 2020 scandal that rocked her show, when former employees accused her of fostering a toxic workplace environment. She admitted in the special that “the thought of anyone thinking that [she’s] mean was devastating” and “consumed [her] for a long time.”
“After a lifetime of caring, I just can’t anymore. So I don’t,” she said in the special, adding that she was “happy not being a boss or a brand or a billboard, just a person.”
The show continued for two more seasons after the toxic workplace allegations made headlines in 2020, with DeGeneres addressing the claims on camera and apologizing to those affected while maintaining she was still “the person you see on TV.”
Wright’s death comes three years after Stephen “tWitch” Boss, the show’s longtime DJ and sidekick, died by suicide in December 2022 at age 40. That loss had already marked a period of mourning for the extended “Ellen” family.
The producer’s passing has drawn renewed attention to the tight-knit community that formed behind the scenes of the daytime institution, with colleagues and fans alike contributing to the memorial fund.
DeGeneres’s Instagram video tribute included compilation footage of Wright’s on-air moments, offering viewers a glimpse of the collaborative dynamic that defined their working relationship across nearly two decades of production.