Ellen DeGeneres Faces Criticism Over $5,000 Donation to Late Producer Matt Wright’s Family

Ellen DeGeneres donated $5,000 to help the family of her longtime producer, Matthew "Matt" Wright, bring his body home to New York after his sudden death in Los Angeles. The donation drew mixed reactions online, with some commenters saying the former talk show host should have given more and others noting that her gift covered 10 percent of the fundraiser's original $50,000 goal.

Wright died on October 30 at age 52 while working remotely in Los Angeles. His family said he died suddenly in his sleep. A cause of death has yet to be made public.

The GoFundMe has surpassed its original goal. The money will pay to bring Wright home to New York, where his husband, Justin, and other relatives live, and help cover a funeral in New York and a memorial in Los Angeles. The organizers said Wright and Justin had both been laid off over the summer. Any money left after expenses will go into a trust for Wright's niece, Sami.

DeGeneres and Wright worked together on The Ellen DeGeneres Show for 16 years, from 2006 until the show ended in 2022. In a tearful Instagram tribute, DeGeneres said the two had been working on another project before his death. She remembered him as smart, kind and quick to make her laugh. "Everyone loved him. I loved him," she said.

Wright also helped launch The Jennifer Hudson Show. Hudson said he had visited the set for the Halloween taping just one day before he died. In her tribute, she remembered the impact he had on colleagues across the television industry and offered her condolences to his family.

Page Six reported on November 4 that it had contacted a representative for DeGeneres about the reaction to her donation and had yet to receive a response.

Support Matt Wright's family on GoFundMe