Ellen DeGeneres receives mixed reactions to $5,000 donation to producer's GoFundMe

Ellen DeGeneres contributed $5,000 to a GoFundMe set up after the death of her longtime producer Matthew Wright. The donation sparked a debate on social media, with some users calling the amount insufficient given DeGeneres' reported net worth, while others argued that the contribution was still significant.

"Big spender. She was crying her eyes out so much why didn’t she just pay the entire 50k," one commenter wrote. "Wow, 0.001% of her net worth! How generous!" another added. "5k from an almost billionaire…how generous…," a third user posted. "When you’re worth hundreds of millions of dollars, donating only $5,000…comes off as cruel," a fourth netizen commented.

Supporters countered the criticism, noting that $5,000 is a substantial sum for a single donation. One user said the amount covered one-tenth of the costs needed to transport Wright’s body and praised DeGeneres for her contribution.

DeGeneres posted a video on Instagram mourning Wright, describing him as "an amazing guy" who made her laugh and was loved by everyone. Wright, who had worked on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and "The Jennifer Hudson Show," died suddenly but peacefully in his sleep at age 52 while working remotely in Los Angeles.

The GoFundMe campaign, created to help his family bring his body from California to New York, highlighted Wright’s impact on those around him, calling him "the light of every room" and noting his kindness and curiosity.