DeGeneres Donates $5,000 to Late Producer’s Family Fundraiser

Published November 3, 2026. Ellen DeGeneres has donated $5,000 to a GoFundMe campaign for the family of Matthew Wright, a former executive producer of her talk show. Wright, 52, died in Los Angeles on October 30. The fundraiser is intended to help bring his body to New York and pay for funeral and memorial expenses. Its organizers said Wright’s husband and other relatives were in New York, and that he and his husband had both been laid off over the summer.

The campaign had received nearly 400 donations and surpassed its $50,000 target by November 3. DeGeneres was among its largest contributors. Allison Holker, widow of the show’s DJ Stephen “tWitch” Boss, gave $500, while fellow executive producer Andy Lassner donated $1,000.

DeGeneres posted a tearful video mourning Wright, describing him as funny, kind and beloved by the show’s staff. She said she had been working with him on a project they planned to begin. Wright worked on the program from 2006 until it ended in 2022.

Some social media users criticized DeGeneres for giving less than the full fundraising target, pointing to her wealth. Others defended her, saying the public did not know the details of her relationship with Wright or whether she was helping his family privately. Some questioned why a former executive producer needed a crowdfunding campaign.