Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss Through the Years: ‘Ellen,’ Fatherhood and More

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Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss Through the Years: ‘So You Think You Can Dance,’ Fatherhood, ‘Ellen’ and More

A look at his life. Stephen “tWitch” Boss wore many hats — including dancer, choreographer, reality TV contestant, husband, father, actor and DJ — before his death by reported suicide in December 2022 at 40.

“tWitch was pure love and light. He was my family, and I loved him with all my heart. I will miss him,” Ellen DeGeneres wrote via Instagram after her former DJ’s death. She introduced Boss to her Ellen DeGeneres Show audience as a guest DJ in 2014. The So You Think You Can Dance alum went on to become a permanent fixture on the show and a co-executive producer.

“How do I say goodbye to a show that changed my life in so many ways? I guess if there was an answer to this it would be to send the show off with as much love as possible. Through thoughts, actions and as Ellen would say before we left the show each day, ‘Take this (feeling in the room) out into the world and spread it.’ That’s how I’ll say goodbye to this show and the moments that were created,” Boss wrote via Instagram in May 2022 after the Ellen series finale.

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The California native’s death later that year came just days after his anniversary with Allison Holker, whom he wed in 2013.

“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,” Holker wrote via Instagram at the time alongside a video of photos from their nuptials. “I feel so blessed and loved!! I love you baby and I will never take you or OUR love for granted! I LOVE YOU.”

The couple met as all-stars on season 7 of So You Think You Can Dance in 2010.

“From the first week of SYTYCD as All-Stars, I thought he was the cutest guy ever,” Holker told Dance Spirit magazine in August 2012. “His personality was so fun.”

Boss shared three children with his wife — Maddox, Zaia and Weslie, Holker’s daughter from a previous relationship, whom the Step Up 3D actor adopted.

Weeks before his death, the Ellen alum shared a Thanksgiving family portrait via Instagram.

“Thankful for family. Thankful for health. Thankful for love. Thankful for life. Sending y’all so much love from our family to yours,” he captioned the snap.

Scroll through for a look at Boss’ life over the years:

Credit: YouTube

2003

The hip hop dancer showed off his skills on national television for the first time, becoming a semifinalist on MTV’s The Wade Robson Project and a runner-up on Star Search. 

Credit: YouTube

2006

Boss appeared as a dancer in the comedy Blades of Glory. He would later appear in films including Hairspray (2007), Step Up 3D (2010) and Adventures in Love & Babysitting (2015). 

Credit: YouTube

2008

The Chapman University alum was the runner-up on season 4 of SYTYCD. He first auditioned for season 3 in 2007 but was not selected to be in the top 20.

Credit: YouTube

2010

The performer returned to SYTYCD as an all-star for season 7, at which time he met his future wife, Holker. Boss continued to make appearances on the reality competition show throughout the years and served as a permanent judge for the 17th season in 2022. 

Credit: Courtesy of Stephen tWitch Boss/Instagram

2013

Boss and Holker exchanged vows in December in Paso Robles, California. He also adopted his wife’s daughter from a previous relationship, Weslie, born in 2008. 

Credit: Michael Rozman/Warner Bros

2014

The reality TV personality joined The Ellen DeGeneres Show as the in-house DJ. He was also featured as a sidekick to DeGeneres on the game show Ellen’s Game of Games, which ran from 2017 to 2021.

Credit: Courtesy of Allison Holker/Instagram

2016

The choreographer and his wife welcomed their son, Maddox, in March. “Now you see why it’s hard to leave home, right?” Boss said to the Ellen audience after showing off photos of the newborn at the time. 

Credit: Courtesy of Stephen tWitch Boss/Instagram

2018

Boss and Holker hosted a Freeform docuseries together titled Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings. The show featured couples and their Disney-themed nuptials. 

“Our wedding is one of my favorite moments of my life. It’s such a special moment that I got to share with my husband,” Holker exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting the series in November 2017. “When they asked us to be a part of Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings, I was honored to be a part of someone else’s moment that they’ll remember forever. It’s so special. It just seemed like a magical moment.”

Credit: Courtesy of Allison Holker/Instagram

2019

The Magic Mike XXL actor became a father again when he and his wife welcomed daughter Zaia. “We create life together,” Holker captioned an Instagram snap of her and Boss holding their baby girl.

Credit: Mike Rozman/Warner Brothers/NBC

2020

Boss became a co-executive producer of Ellen. 

Credit: Courtesy of Allison Holker/Instagram

2022

The guest talk show host shared a heartfelt message after the Ellen series finale in May.

“With all the love, joy and kindness in my heart I say a big thank you to Ellen, the entire staff at The Ellen DeGeneres Show and everyone that supported and came along this amazing journey. Even though we won’t be in the same studio with each other every day, the light and laughs that we created together continue to shine and echo,” he wrote via Instagram at the time.

Credit: Courtesy of Allison Holker/Instagram

2022

In December, Boss died by reported suicide at 40. 

“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us,” his wife said in a statement to People at the time. “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. He was the backbone of our family, the best husband and father, and an inspiration to his fans.

If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.