THE NEW YORK POST – Ellen DeGeneres has shared some heartbreaking news.
The former talk show host took to Instagram to remember former guest Tayt Andersen, whose family announced passed away from cancer on Friday morning at the age of 19.
Andersen appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” several times while living with a congenital heart condition, and DeGeneres dubbed him her “only boyfriend” after he once called her his “girlfriend” on the program.
“Ellen DeGeneres took a step away from comedy after she was accused of fostering a toxic workplace environment on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” – PEOPLE, July 22, 2025
“We had a very special guest on the show several times, and his name is Tayt,” DeGeneres, 67, began while fighting back tears in a heartbreaking video. “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,” she continued. “I will miss him.”
DeGeneres also remembered Andersen in the caption of her emotional clip.
“I love you Tayt. I love you Chrissy,” she wrote, referring to Chrissy Becker, Andersen’s mom. “You touched so many lives.”
Chrissy, meanwhile, took to the comments section of the comedian’s post to thank DeGeneres for the thoughtful words.
“We love you so much,” she wrote alongside a heart emoji. “Thank you for being his girlfriend you gave him so much strength.”
Andersen’s family announced the devastating news of his death on his personal Instagram page early Friday, Sept. 26.
“Our hearts are absolutely shattered as we share the news we never wanted to write: Our sweet, strong warrior, Tayt, was released from his bodily prison early this morning, at 1:30 a.m. CT, surrounded by the fierce love of his family,” they began alongside several black-and-white photos of Andersen and his mom …
