Prad Nungel
Five years before he tragically committed suicide, Stephen “tWitch” Boss delivered an encouraging message about overcoming challenges.
In a 2017 episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast,” the former “Ellen” show DJ noted, “It’s a constant work in progress.”
“You will make decisions that might seem right at the time but then they’re not. For me, it just helps to know that it keeps going. It does, no matter what — even if something seems very devastating like there’s some kind of force that’s going to keep going. And it’s there for you to naturally access.”
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Boss stated that he would occasionally pause and think to himself, “Wait a minute, but what was this back here that just happened to me?” and would then “make a choice to stay there.” And “jump back into the program” of everyday life.
The former contestant of “So You Think You Can Dance” did not go into depth about the challenges he was facing. But he did mention how being a father increased the strain.
At the time, he stated, “I’m 35 years old, I am a father of two, I’m a husband, so it’s just like I have so many lives other than my own that I have to take account for in my choices, my actions, and all of that”
“Sometimes, I’m faced to make a choice that is the best possible choice I can make at that given moment. Now, will it be a perfect choice? No. Will it cause me to fall? Maybe, and if so, you’ve got to get back up really, really quick and pick up the lesson of whatever that is and then keep it moving. Because that’s kind of what life does.”
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Boss was a devoted husband and father who frequently shared amusing footage of his family on social media.
In 2013, Boss wed Allison Holker. The couple’s children at the time of the podcast interview were son Maddox, now 6, and daughter Weslie, aged 14. Later, they welcomed Zaia, who is now 3 years old.
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The professional dancer also revealed to host Aubrey Marcus during the interview. That he had “fell in love” with the notion that getting back up after adversity “doesn’t have to be romantic.”
“Your bounce back from a perceived failure or whatever something that didn’t work out for you. Your bounce back immediately doesn’t have to be like this Hollywood story,” Boss stated
“It doesn’t have to be, like, something that you tell your friends that at the end of it your friends are going to go, ‘Wow,’ because that’s another little ego trick I just recently found.”
Marcus said, “Like you’re writing the intro to a book,” to which Boss oddly chuckled,
‘‘I had the gun in my hand’ … and meanwhile, it’s like some trivial s–t. I was looking at myself when I’ve talked about this, this is something I’ve for sure done.”
It’s really romantic, said the “Real Dirty Dancing” host. ‘It was hard, but I found my way out.’ I feel like because that’s kind of a natural cycle of life. Then if you just trust the process and kind of allow it then those highlight reels will come.”
Boss mentioned how he used his craft to cope with stress, saying “When you feel good, you dance.”
“No matter what, life is going to move forward,” he added.
After a successful run on “So You Think You Can Dance,” Boss became well-known as the DJ on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
According to TMZ, Boss was discovered dead on December 13 in a hotel room in Los Angeles from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He had just turned 40.
On Wednesday, Holker issued a statement regarding the demise of her husband, stating, in part:
“Stephen lit up every room he stepped into. He valued family, friends and community above all else and leading with love and light was everything to him.”
“Stephen, we love you, we miss you, and I will always save the last dance for you,” the 34-year-old “Dancing With the Stars” alum concluded.
Boss collaborated closely with Ellen DeGeneres from 2014 until 2022 on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” and she expressed her “heartbreak” on his passing.
On social media, the 64-year-old talk show presenter stated, “tWitch was pure love and light. He was my family, and I loved him with all my heart. I will miss him.”
Call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 if you or someone you know needs assistance with any of the situations mentioned in this account.
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