Matt Wright spent years behind the scenes making The Ellen DeGeneres Show feel effortless, and this week the industry is making sure his family knows it. The former executive producer died suddenly on October 30 while working remotely in Los Angeles. His sister Mandy launched a GoFundMe to cover the cost of bringing him home to New York, plus funeral and memorial expenses, after noting that Wright and his husband Justin were both laid off this summer.
The response has been overwhelming. The fundraiser blew past its $50,000 goal and has now topped $75,000. Ellen DeGeneres donated $5,000 and remembered him as the glue of her show’s family, while Jennifer Hudson, whose show Wright helped launch in 2022, posted that he had visited just days earlier for the Halloween episode and made a massive impact on everyone around him. Any excess funds will go into a trust for Wright’s niece Sami.
It’s a story about loss, yes, but also about how quickly people show up when a family is struggling. The tributes from daytime TV’s biggest names make it clear: Matt Wright was one of the good ones.
Did you ever lose a colleague who truly held your workplace together? We’d love to hear your story.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.