Ellen DeGeneres Show guest Tayt Andersen dies at 19 after lifelong health battle
Longtime Ellen guest, a transplant survivor who battled bladder cancer, dies after extended illness; family says he inspired many with his resilience
Tayt Andersen, a teenager who became a popular guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, has died after a long battle with cancer. He was 19. The family announced his death on Sept. 26, 2025, after he had been given months to live while hospice care was arranged.
Andersen was born with only the right side of his heart and underwent 12 surgeries by the age of nine. He received a heart transplant at age 10, an event followed by post-transplant lymphoma in his teens. He was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2024 at 18, and by the summer of 2025 doctors said the cancer had spread to his pelvis, spine, abdomen, chest and neck, according to a GoFundMe page his family set up to raise money for hospice care. He was told he had four months to live.
Andersen first appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2013, at age seven, after the host learned that he loved her program and referred to him as her 'girlfriend.' He loved watching the show during hospital visits, and his mother, Chrissy Becker, said he would tell doctors to leave the room when he was watching. Andersen appeared on the show multiple times, including a 2015 appearance when he told DeGeneres that he had finally received a new heart. Becker noted that the show’s support lifted his spirits and aided his recovery during difficult hospital stays.
Throughout his appearances, Ellen and her team supported Andersen’s family with money, gifts, vacations, iPads and even a new car. After his death, DeGeneres posted a personal tribute, calling him a 'very special little human being' who brought joy, life and laughter into every room and saying she would miss him dearly.
The family’s tribute described a life marked by perseverance rather than despair, noting that doctors and nurses observed how Andersen drew strength from the moments he could share with the show’s audience and from DeGeneres’s ongoing sponsorship. The news prompted a wave of condolences from fans and colleagues who had followed his journey and were moved by his enduring optimism.