What happened to Tayt Andersen? Ellen DeGeneres' favorite guest on her show and her 'only boyfriend' dies at 19

Ellen DeGeneres shared on her Instagram that a boy named Tayt Andersen, who appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show multiple times, has passed away. Tayt appeared on the talk show in January 2013.

His mother, Chrissy Becker, shared that Andersen was born with half a heart and went through multiple open-heart surgeries as a child. Tayt was a fan of Ellen, and he watched her show regularly.

As a child, Tayt called her his girlfriend, and every schedule had to be adjusted so he could watch his favourite show.

Andersen appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show multiple times to share updates on his condition. He announced on the show that he had gotten a heart transplant in 2015.

Tayt received a new heart when he was 9 years old. However, the organ transplant caused post-transplant lymphoma in his teenage years.

While he dealt with the rare complication, at age 18, Andersen was diagnosed with bladder cancer.

According to People Magazine's September 26, 2025, report, the cancer had spread to the teenager's pelvis, spine, abdomen, chest, and neck by June 2025.

His mother announced the news of Tayt's passing with a series of black-and-white pictures of her son.

In the Instagram post's caption, she wrote that last weekend, her son was struggling with an infection.

Tayt was able to respond on September 21, 2025. He fell into a deep sleep early on Monday morning. Andersen passed away on Friday (September 26, 2025) in his sleep.

He was surrounded by his family in his final moments.

Chrissy also noted that their family could tell that Tayt was about to pass away. The day before his death, they called every family member so they could say goodbye to him, and the rest of the day they watched Tayt's favourite movies and read his favourite books.

His family also kept his handprints as a memory.

Ellen DeGeneres paid tribute to Tayt Andersen

Ellen DeGeneres recalled Tayt's moments on her show, and him claiming to be Ellen's boyfriend. The talk show host called the 19-year-old a "very special" human and said she would miss him. Then the Instagram video played clips of Tayt's appearance on the show.

"We had a very special guest on the show several times, and his name is Tayt, 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. I will miss him," she stated.

Meanwhile, Tayt Andersen's family organized a GoFundMe in August 2024 to raise money for his medical bills. Out of the $50,000 target, over $15,200 has been raised so far.

In other news, Ellen DeGeneres has left Hollywood and moved to the UK with her wife, Portia de Rossi.

Ellen told the BBC that they decided to relocate after Donald Trump's re-election. The couple expressed that they enjoyed living in the UK.

Ellen DeGeneres's talk show ended in 2022, after multiple reports of alleged workplace harassment surfaced online.

Last year, during her live show, she shared that the abrupt end of The Ellen DeGeneres Show affected her mentally.

"I'm making jokes about what happened to me but it was devastating, really... I just hated the way the show ended. I love that show so much and I just hated that the last time people would see me is that way," DeGeneres stated.

The host continues to post clips of her show on her Instagram. In her recent statement, Ellen DeGeneres shared that she and her wife plan to stay in the UK for an extended period.