"The lyrics to that song are so powerful," he said.
And that's when Ellen revealed one of her trademark surprises.
"Have you met Katy yet?" she asked Tony. "You want to meet Katy?"
Tony turned around in shock to see Katy Perry walking towards the stage, both of them bursting into tears almost instantly.
"Your story is so inspirational," the singer said to Tony after they composed themselves.
"I just want to say thank you for everything you do," Tony said to Katy, "Your lyrics to that song helped me from the day I was in the hospital all the way to now."
And there was still one surprise in store for Tony.
"I heard that you want to go to film school so I personally want to pay for your first year at film school," Katy said to him.