Culture 2 min read By Trevor Kendall
Ellen DeGeneres Show EP Matthew Wright dies at 52
Matthew Wright, a longtime executive producer on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, died Friday while working remotely in Los Angeles, and DeGeneres has posted a tribute to him.
Matthew Wright, a longtime executive producer on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, has died at the age of 52. Friends and colleagues described his death as an “unfathomable tragedy,” and Ellen DeGeneres has posted an emotional video tribute to the man she called the glue of her family.
Wright died on Friday, October 30, while working remotely in Los Angeles, according to a GoFundMe campaign set up to support his family. The fundraising page said he passed away “while working remotely in Los Angeles,” and that his husband, father, sister and niece were in New York and were desperate for support as they coped with the loss. The campaign was created to help them through the period that followed.
Wright worked on the talk show for 16 years, serving as an executive producer and appearing frequently on the program. His long tenure made him one of the series’ most consistent presences, a familiar figure both behind the scenes and on screen across more than a decade and a half of broadcasts.
In a tearful video, DeGeneres spoke about Wright and described him as the glue that held her team together. Her tribute reflected the close working relationship the two shared during his years on the series, and it marked the first public acknowledgment of his death from the show’s host.
The loss arrives at a show whose daily production relied on long-serving staff who knew its rhythms and its people. Wright’s role as an executive producer meant he was involved in shaping the program across his 16 years there, and his absence leaves a gap that colleagues have felt in both creative and personal terms.
Those who knew Wright have turned to the GoFundMe to offer practical help to his relatives in New York while they grieve. The campaign’s appeal focused on his family, who were far from Los Angeles when he died, and it remained the main channel through which supporters could respond to the news.
Source: deadline.com
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