Ellen DeGeneres tearfully remembered her longtime executive producer Matthew Wright in a video to fans on Monday, calling his sudden death "shocking" and saying "everybody loved him."
Wright, 52, died Friday in Los Angeles in what his family described as an "unfathomable tragedy." Wright had served as executive producer on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" from 2006 to 2022. On Monday, DeGeneres posted a tearful video remembering Wright, saying he was funny, smart, kind and "the glue to our entire family at the Ellen Show."
She noted Wright was close with the late Stephen "tWitch" Boss, who died in 2022, saying they are now reunited "dancing and laughing." The video included a montage of Wright's onscreen segments, particularly the recurring segment "Strong Opinions With Matt." DeGeneres appeared to lose her train of thought at times through tears.
Wright's husband Justin Fusella and his family are in New York. His family launched a GoFundMe to cover funeral expenses and transport his remains from Los Angeles to New York. The fundraising campaign had already surpassed its $50,000 goal by Monday afternoon, according to the GoFundMe shared by his family.
Fellow executive producer Andy Lassner shared photos from Thursday on the set of The Jennifer Hudson Show, where he said Wright had visited hours before his death. Lassner called Wright "a brilliant producer and an even better human being" and said Wright had looked after his mother, flying back and forth from Los Angeles to New York practically every weekend before she died.
Former co-host Loni Love posted on Facebook she was "devastated and heartbroken" to hear of Wright's death.
The video tribute ended with a title card reading "We love you, Matt."
Wright's family said he and his husband were both laid off this summer, and the unexpected costs of transporting his remains, funeral and memorial are impossible for the family to bear.
