Ellen DeGeneres Mourns Fan with Heart Condition, Who Called Her His ‘Girlfriend’ on Her Show, After His Death at 19

A boy who Ellen DeGeneres dubbed her “only boyfriend” has died at 19.

Tayt Andersen, an avid fan of DeGeneres who appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show a number of times throughout its run while he was living with a congenial heart condition, has died following a journey with cancer on Friday, Sept. 26.

Hours later, the talk show host, 67, shared a heartfelt video message reacting to the news.

“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.”

“I will miss him,” she concluded before a montage of their interactions on the show played.

Chrissy Becker, Andersen’s mom, commented on the post expressing her gratitude for DeGeneres.

“We love you so much,” she gushed. “Thank you for being his girlfriend you gave him so much strength ❤️”

Andersen’s family announced his death in an Instagram post on his page in the early hours of Sept. 26. Alongside a series of black and white photos, capturing Andersen and Becker’s final moments together, was a lengthy caption.

“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,” it read. “While our souls feel shattered and lost by this unimaginable grief, we are so thankful that Tayt is finally free. No more pain, no more appointments, no more treatments.”

“Tayt was loved by so many, and he impacted countless lives with his incredible smile, his quiet strength, his kindness, and his beautiful love,” it continued. “Last weekend, after taking a turn for the worse due to an infection, Tayt fought one last battle. He was so alert and responsive on Sunday, but by the night, he was in pain. 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.”

“Yesterday, we spent the day calling and FaceTiming family so they could say their goodbyes. We made sure to get his handprint—a small way to hold on to him— we watched his favorite movies, read his favorite stories. We knew Tayt time was limited but we honestly just weren’t ready to lose him.”

The caption concluded: “Please keep Chrissy, Tayt, and our family in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate this crushing grief. There are truly no words to describe this pain; we are just moving through this painful process, grateful for every moment we had with our amazing boy. Please give us grace during this time.”

According to a GoFundMe page set up on his behalf, Andersen was born with half a heart and went through 12 surgeries by the age of 9. When he was 10, he received a heart transplant, but he was diagnosed with post-transplant lymphoma in his teens.

In 2024, when he was 18, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. By June 2025, it had spread to his pelvis, spine, abdomen, chest and neck, and he was given three to four months to live.

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Andersen made his first appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in January 2013, when the comedian declared that he was her “only boyfriend” after learning that he referred to her as his “girlfriend.”

“I love you,” he told her over a video call at the time.

Later that month, he joined her for an in-person episode and continued coming back for years — including a particularly memorable stop by the show in 2015 so he could tell DeGeneres, “I got myself a new heart!”