Stephen “tWitch” Boss, the famed DJ and dancer on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” has died, TMZ has learned. He was 40 and found at a hotel in Los Angeles. Evidence led law enforcement to believe Boss’ death was by suicide.
Authorities informed the outlet that Boss’ wife, Allison Holker, frantically ran into the police station on Tuesday, Dec. 13. She claims he left home without his car, which was unlike his normal behavior. Authorities received a call around 11:15 a.m. requesting emergency assistance at a hotel where Boss was found. He was pronounced dead at the scene from a “self-inflicted gunshot wound.”
Boss is survived by his wife and three children, who are mourning the loss of “the backbone of their family.”
“Stephen lit up every room he stepped into,” Holker told the outlet. “He valued family, friends, and community above all else and leading with love and light was everything to him.”
She continued, “He was the backbone of our family, the best husband and father, and an inspiration to his fans. To say he left a legacy would be an understatement, and his positive impact will continue to be felt. I am certain there won’t be a day that goes by that we won’t honor his memory.”
Holker added, “We ask for privacy during this difficult time for myself and especially for our 3 children. Stephen, we love you, we miss you, and I will always save the last dance for you.”
His Personal Life
Twitch recently celebrated his nine-year wedding anniversary with fellow “So You Think You Can Dance” alum Holker. The professional dancers bonded through movement and regularly shared videos of their family dancing together on social media.
In a celebratory post on Instagram, Boss shared two photos of the couple on their wedding day on Dec. 11. “Happy anniversary my love @allisonholker #9years,” he wrote in the caption with nine red heart emojis.
Holker returned the love with a video collage of photos from their wedding shared on her page. In her own caption, she said, “It’s our 9th anniversary!! I couldn’t be more grateful to celebrate this perfect magical day!!! Saying YES to @sir_twitch_alot has been one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life!! I feel so blessed and loved!! I love you baby and I will never take you or OUR love for granted! I LOVE YOU #happyanniversary #bosswedding2013.”
Boss and Holker share three children, daughters Weslie, 14 and Zaia, 3, and son Maddox, 6.
Claim to Fame
Boss’s unique dance style led to a successful career as a dancer, choreographer, DJ, host and judge on several television competition series. He held thousands of workshops and classes around the world teaching others how to dance. After opportunities on “The Wade Robson Project” and “Star Search,” the Montgomery, Alabama, native tried his luck on the dance competition series “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2005.
The hip-hop dancer failed to place in the top 20, therefore, he returned the following year, where he won runner-up in the finals. One of his most praised performances on the show was “Mercy” with Katee Shean. It was choreographed by award-winning director Mia Michaels and nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.
Boss continued dancing for several seasons on “SYTYCD” before he was chosen as an All-Star dancer for season seven. He served as a judge on season 17, which aired in early May. But his dance and acting skills were displayed in films like “Hairspray.” He earned a recurring role as Jason in “Step Up: 3D,” “Step Up: Revolution,” “Step Up: All In.”
In 2014, Boss became the house DJ and dancer on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” He became co-producer in 2020. and stayed on the Emmy-winning Daytime series until it wrapped earlier this year in August.
DeGeneres previously revealed the story of how she met tWitch after he won runner-up on “So You Think You Can Dance.” She recalled hiring him to teach her a dance from the show, and from there he’d been right by her side.
“Over a decade ago, I met someone who changed my life and our show and I’m talking about you tWitch,” said Ellen in the May 25 episode.
She then played a montage video of their favorite show memories with Boss. “You’re a fake DJ, but you’re a real good man,” she added.
