The former talk show host revealed she and Wright had been planning to work together again before his sudden death

NEED TO KNOW

• Matt Wright, a longtime executive producer on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, died on Oct. 30 at age 52
• Ellen DeGeneres fought back tears in a Nov. 2 Instagram video mourning Wright, whom she called the “glue” of the show’s family
• The former talk show host revealed they had been planning to work together again and reflected on Wright’s close friendship with the late Stephen “tWitch” Boss

Ellen DeGeneres was emotional on camera as she paid tribute to a producer she worked with for years on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Matt Wright, who worked on the show for 16 years, died suddenly on Oct. 30 at 52. In a video posted on Instagram on Nov. 2, DeGeneres, 68, was choked up as she shared the news of his death. “He was an amazing guy,” she said. “He was funny. God, he made me laugh. He would surprise me with things that he did all the time. He was smart. He was kind. He was the part of our show that — I mean, everyone loved him.”

“I loved him. And it’s just shocking — it’s shocking,” she said.

She revealed that she and Wright had been in touch recently and were planning to work together again. “We were working on a project to do together that we were supposed to start,” she said.

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“We’re gonna miss him. He is and always will be the glue to our entire family at the Ellen show,” she said.

DeGeneres somewhat struggled with her words as the video went on. “I don’t know what I’m saying,” she admitted, before she acknowledged Wright’s husband and family. “I’m so sorry. ‘Cause we lost a good guy. He was a good guy.”

She also mentioned the late dancer, Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, who died in December 2022 and was a friend of Wright’s. “He and tWitch were so close. So now he and tWitch are together, dancing and laughing.”

Wright died suddenly in an “unfathomable tragedy” on Friday, Oct. 30, according to a GoFundMe page created to help his family. “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,” reads the fundraiser description.

“As many of you know, Matt & Justin were both laid off this summer. And the unexpected costs of getting Matt home, a funeral and a memorial are impossible for the family to bear.”

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