‘I’m Heartbroken’: Ellen DeGeneres Mourns Sudden Loss of Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss

TheEllenShow / YouTube Ellen is sharing a tribute to her late friend

Longtime talk-show host and former “American Idol” judge Ellen DeGeneres is grieving the loss of her friend and longtime DJ of her eponymous talk show, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, who died suddenly this morning, Wednesday, December 14. TMZ reported that the dancer, DJ, and television personality’s wife Allison Holker ran to the LAPD this morning when Boss left home without his car, citing this as unusual behavior for him. Hours later, paramedics were called to a Los Angeles hotel where they found Boss had died as the result of “an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound”.

Boss first joined “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in 2014 as a guest DJ, eventually taking over the position permanently from Tony Okungbowa. Hear what DeGeneres has to say about her late friend below.

Ellen DeGeneres Pays Tribute to Her Friend tWitch

Hours after the news of Stephen “tWitch” Boss’s sudden passing, Ellen DeGeneres took to social media to share a tribute to her late friend, writing, “I’m heartbroken. 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 Allison and his beautiful children – Weslie, Maddox, and Zaia.”

Familiar faces from “The Ellen Show” chimed in as well. Longtime executive producer Andy Lassner commented on DeGeneres’s post, writing, “❤️Nobody made him smile like you did”, and fan-favorite guest Sophia Grace Brownlee added, “So heartbreaking 💔🙏🏼”.

Fans are sharing in DeGeneres’s grief for Boss and his family, including his wife Allison, who has appeared on “The Ellen Show” multiple times with her late husband.

“I am so sad. I love him I never met him but he seemed like such a wonderful soul. I will say so many prayers for his wife and his children. I remember watching him compete on So You Think You Can Dance and then when I saw that he was your DJ that was everything. You two together were pure joy,” one fan wrote on Facebook.

“I am just heartbroken about this. I loved watching Twitch. Such a kind, talented person. I just watched videos his wedding proposal to his wife, dancing with Alex Wong, and getting waxed on the Ellen show. Twitch, Rest in Peace,” another fan added.

tWitch First Found Fame on ‘So You Think You Can Dance’

Stephen “tWitch” Boss’s career was set in motion long before he joined “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”.

Boss’s entry in the spotlight began on “So You Think You Can Dance”. After auditioning for the third season of the series and narrowly missing the top 20, Boss returned for season four, and made it all the way to the grand finale, earning second place in the competition behind winner Joshua Allen.

Boss also had a successful acting career, having performed in both dancing and acting roles in movies including “Blades of Glory”, “Hairspray”, and “Magic Mike XXL” and television shows including “Modern Family” and “Young & Hungry”. In 2018, Boss returned to “So You Think You Can Dance”, this time behind the judge’s panel alongside Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, and Vanessa Hudgens. He returned as a judge two seasons later in 2022, this time alongside JoJo Siwa and Matthew Morrison, who was later replaced by Leah Remini.