Ellen DeGeneres posts teary Christmas tribute to Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss: ‘It’s not a happy holiday’
Happy Holidays #HappyHolidays
Ellen DeGeneres is seriously struggling following the suicide of her close friend and colleague, Stephen “tWitch” Boss.
The former talk show host, 64, took to her social media accounts on Friday to share a teary tribute to the late DJ — almost two weeks after his shocking death at the age of 40.
“I just wanted to say that the past 11 days have been very tough for everyone,” DeGeneres declared in the 90-second video, which appeared to be filmed in the backyard of her California home.
“Everyone is in pain and trying to make sense of it. We’ll never make sense of it,” she mournfully continued. “The holidays are hard I think anyway, but to honor ‘tWitch’ the best thing we can do is to laugh and to hug each other and to play games and dance and sing. That’s the way we honor him. We do the things that he loved to do.”
Boss was a DJ on DeGeneres’ eponymous daytime series, a gig he started in 2014. He was eventually elevated to executive producer in 2020 and stayed on the show until the finale this past spring.
Fighting back tears, the comedian added: “It’s hard. It seems impossible, but that’s how we honor him. We hug each other and tell each other we love each other and let people know we’re there for them. Check in on people.
“Happy holidays everybody,” she continued, before clarifying: “It’s not a happy holiday, but he was pure light as everyone in the comments said. If you knew him, you knew that. If you didn’t know him, you saw it. Let’s honor him and think about him and send love to one another.”
Boss was a DJ on DeGeneres’ eponymous daytime series, a gig he started in 2014. He was eventually elevated to executive producer in 2020 and stayed on the show until the finale this past spring.
The beloved DJ stood by DeGeneres after her public image took a beating following allegations that her talk show was a “toxic” place to work.
Boss was found dead inside a Los Angeles motel room last Tuesday, with an autopsy confirming that he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
DeGeneres and Boss worked together for eight years. The beloved DJ stood by DeGeneres after her public image took a beating following “toxic workplace” allegations. Mike Rozman/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images Boss was found dead inside a Los Angeles motel room last Tuesday, with an autopsy confirming that he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
DeGeneres first spoke out about Boss’ death last week.
“I’m heartbroken,” she declared in a statement on Dec. 13. “tWitch was pure love and light. He was my family, and I loved him with all my heart. I will miss him. Please send your love and support to [wife] Allison and his beautiful children — Weslie, Maddox, and Zaia.”
Boss — who was also a judge on “So You Think You Can Dance” — had been married to Allison Holker, 34, since 2013. The couple hosted “Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings” together on Disney+ and shared three children, ages 3, 6 and 14.
Earlier this week, the distraught widow returned to Instagram for the first time since Boss’ death, sharing a selfie of the couple smiling, above a caption that read: “My ONE and ONLY Oh how my heart aches. We miss you so much.”
Boss is survived by his wife and their three children: Weslie, 14, Maddox, 6, and Zaia, 3.
In a statement to The Post confirming her husband’s death last week, Holker wrote: “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us.
“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,” she added.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text the Crisis Text Line at 741741.