Allison Holker, widow of Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, says she discovered his substance abuse after death, sparking backlash
Stephen ‘tWitch Boss’, who died by suicide in December 2022, reportedly struggled with substance abuse and mental health at the time of his death.
The widow of Stephen “tWitch” Boss, Allison Holker, says in a new interview that learned so much more about what her late husband had been going through after his death.
Ahead of the release of her memoir “This Far,” the 36-year-old professional dancer revealed the “really scary” way she learned tWitch had allegedly been abusing substances.
Holker had been cleaning out their closet and going through Boss’ shoeboxes when she discovered a “cornucopia” of drugs, including pills, mushrooms, and “other substances I had to look up on my phone,” she told People magazine in a recent interview.
“It was a really triggering moment for me because there were a lot of things I discovered in our closet that I did not know existed. It was very alarming to me to learn that there was so much happening that I had no clue [about],” she continued. “It was a really scary moment in my life to figure that out, but it also helped me process that he was going through so much and he was hiding so much, and there must have been a lot of shame in that.”
Looking through Boss’ notebooks and books he’d read, Holker learned even more about the possible origins of his mental health struggles and his mental state at the time of his death by suicide on December 13, 2022.
Describing their nine-year marriage as communicative, Holker belatedly realized her husband had experienced significant trauma in childhood, including sexual abuse by a male figure he never identified or confronted.
“He was wrestling with a lot inside himself, and he was trying to self-medicate and cope with all those feelings because he didn’t want to put it on anyone because he loved everyone so much,” she said.
At the time of Boss’ death, the professional dancer was wrapping up eight years as a DJ and sometime guest host of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and a hosting gig on “So You Think You Can Dance.”
Holker’s forthcoming memoir chronicles her childhood, her life, and her healing journey in the aftermath of her husband’s sudden death. Looking back on December 2022, Holker said she can see now how tWitch must have been struggling to balance his unhealed pain with his demanding career and home life. Together, the couple shared three children: Weslie, 16 (Holker’s daughter from a prior relationship), Maddox, 8, and Zaia, 5.
The mother of three hopes her book, slated for release on Feb. 4, can help just “one person” seek the help and resources they need.
“If I’ve learned anything, I’ve learned that mental health can impact anyone at any time of their life,” she said.
In a series of tweets, Real Housewives of Potomac star, Candiace Dillard, blasted Hoker for sharing these revelations, particularly with a mainstream media outlet instead of a Black one:
“I’m not even gonna say it,” Dillard wrote on X. “But this white woman is doing everything BUT protecting her Black children and her Black husband‘s legacy. She could’ve kept this in her therapist’s office. SMH.”
“She [Holker] could’ve just easily taken this story to Essence or Ebony where care would have been taken to share such a tragically intimate story of a Black man’s plight against himself.”
Similarly, members of Boss’ family criticized Hoker’s claims about drug use, alleging she made them sign an NDA at his funeral.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, or text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
For culturally competent mental health resources please head to Therapy For Black Girls or Therapy for Black Men.
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