Ellen DeGeneres shares touching tribute to former 'boyfriend' guest who dies aged 19

Ellen DeGeneres has shared a heartfelt tribute after her former talk show guest Tayt Andersen died at the age of 19.

Before fleeing America for the quiet confines of the Cotswolds, the 67-year-old ruled the United States’ airwaves, treating daytime TV fanatics to a plethora of iconic celebrity moments.

Who could forget the Kristen Bell sloth meltdown, or Taylor Swift’s 2019 crazy cat lady skit? There was also the watershed 'that's not true’ interview with actress Dakota Johnson, which continues to circulate in meme form.

In 2022, DeGeneres stepped away from her titular talk show, reportedly due to toxic workplace allegations and a significant decline in ratings, according to The i Paper.

The star has since kept a relatively low profile, but often shares clips from her many years on air as well as intimate life moments via her Instagram Feed.

But on Friday (September 26), the comedian uploaded a tribute video to former The Ellen DeGeneres Show guest Tayt Andersen, whose family announced he’d died from cancer earlier that day.

In the clip, the actor fought back tears to explain that when Andersen had appeared on the programme, he believed she was his ‘girlfriend’.

“We had a very special guest on the show several times, and his name is Tayt,” she began. “And he thought that I was his girlfriend, and so I told him he was my boyfriend, which shocked my wife.

“But he was a very special little human being, and just brought joy and life and laughter into every room that he was in,” the retired host continued. “I will miss him.”

A montage of their on-screen moments was then shown, and in the clip’s caption, DeGeneres wrote: “I love you Tayt. I love you Chrissy. You touched so many lives.”

Andersen’s mother, Chrissy Becker, has since responded to the heartbreaking tribute, commenting: “We love you so much thank you for being his girlfriend you gave him so much strength.”

According to a GoFundMe, Anderson was born with half a heart, and was forced to undergo 12 surgeries by the time he was nine years old.

When he turned ten, the TV favourite received a heart transplant, and in 2024, he was sadly diagnosed with bladder cancer.

Becker wrote that last week, Andersen’s health took a turn for the worse due to contracting an unknown infection.

“Tayt fought one last battle. He was so alert and responsive on Sunday, but by the night, he was in pain,” the tribute read. “After a long night, he finally found peace and drifted off to sleep around 4:00 a.m. Monday. He remained asleep and unresponsive, resting comfortably, until he passed away peacefully early this morning.”

The teenager debuted on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in January 2013, before returning multiple times, including to inform American viewers that he’d got his heart transplant in 2015.

“I got myself a new heart!,” he said at the time.

Fans and celebrities alike have also been paying tribute to Andersen.

One Instagram user commented: “Our hearts ache for a boy we only knew through your show. Tayt’s smile and courage touched millions. Ellen, you gave us the gift of knowing him, and that’s something daytime TV has never been able to give us again. We miss those moments, and we’ll always remember Tayt.”

Father of the Bride actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley said: “Thank you for being such a cheerleader and friend to him. And for introducing the world to this sweet boy.”

And author Nikki Husted wrote: “I’m so sorry, Ellen. Tayt was a wonderful human.”

You can donate to Tayt Andersen’s GoFundMe page here.