The Memoir Of Ms. Butterfly

Stephen Boss, a charismatic hip-hop dancer and television personality known as tWitch who rose to fame on the reality show “So You Think You Can Dance” before becoming a regular on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” died on Tuesday in a motel room in Los Angeles. He was 40.

The death was ruled a suicide by the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office.

Mr. Boss joined “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2008 as a 25-year-old with a talent for popping — a dance form associated with hip-hop that involves isolating parts of the body with a staccato rhythm — and an ability to make the judges burst into laughter with his facial expressions and theatrics.

He soon found himself dancing unfamiliar styles like the waltz and the tango on national television, and he finished the show’s fourth season as runner-up. Later in the series, Mr. Boss performed a hip-hop duet with Ellen DeGeneres — featuring him as a therapist in a sweater vest and her as his client — that would shape the rest of his career.

As a bubbly presence on TV who liked to wear a fedora and often broke into dance, Mr. Boss spent nearly a decade with “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” as D.J., guest host and, eventually, an executive producer. “I count on him to look over at and make silly jokes,” Ms. DeGeneres said in an episode this year, the show’s last. “He’s my pal; he’s my sidekick.”

In 2000, Boss graduated from Lee High School in Montgomery, Alabama, and studied dance performance at Southern Union State Community College in Wadley, Alabama, and Chapman University. 

Boss first auditioned in 2007 for Season 3 of the show and appeared on the program. Unfortunately, twitch was not selected to be in the Top 20. He returned to audition again in Season 4 in 2008; he was chosen to compete in the Top 20 and was the runner-up after fellow hip-hop dancer Joshua Allen who won. During Season 4, he danced with Katee Shean to a Contemporary piece choreographed by Mia Michaels.

 The dance was nominated for an Emmy for Choreography in the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards.

In season 5, Boss again appeared on So You Think You Can Dance with fellow season 4 contestant Katee Shean to perform their Emmy-nominated piece “Mercy,” choreographed by Mia Michaels. He was one of the 11 “All-Stars” for season 7. Twitch often was an All-Star in Seasons 7, 8, and 9 of So You Think You Can Dance, performing memorable routines, including the hip hop number “Outta Your Mind” with ballet dancer Alex Wong, which comedian Ellen DeGeneres reprised in Season 7’s finale. He was the team captain for “Team Street” in Season 12 of So You Think You Can Dance. He was announced as a permanent judge for the seventeenth season in 2022. He had an apparel line called Twitch Clothing.

I have to share my husband with the heaviest of hearts. Unfortunately, Stephen has left us,” Boss’ wife, Allison Holker Boss, 34, confirms to PEOPLE. “Stephen lit up every room he stepped into. He valued family, friends, and community above all else, and leading with love and the light was everything to him. He was the backbone of our family, the best husband and father, and an inspiration to his fans.

His final Instagram post on Monday showed him and Holker dancing in front of a Christmas tree and celebrating the holidays. Boss is survived by his wife, Allison, and children Zaia, 3, Maddox, 6, and Weslie, 14.

I genuinely hate writing about stories of people who lost their own life at their own hands because it seems more accessible than asking for help.

 I struggle with it myself, asking for help because I depend on my daily personal care, and I find it humiliating to admit that I would need mental help.

 But unfortunately, the world has never made it easy for people to get the service they deserve; most people believe that asking for it is a sign of weakness, but in reality, people should try and look at it as a sign of strength.

Having the strength to realize when help is needed should be considered positive, which means we choose ourselves and those who love us. In a statement on Wednesday, Ms. DeGeneres said she was “heartbroken” over the death, calling Mr. Boss “pure love and light.

Stephen Laurel Boss was born on Sept. 29, 1982, in Montgomery, Ala., to Connie Boss Alexander and Sandford Rose. He started dancing as a teenager and earned the nickname tWitch because he could not stop moving in school or church. People saw his joy in making TikTok dance with his lovely wife.

Dancing brought him joy and peace, but that was not enough to complete what probably made him feel alone. We can look happy and try to feel the happiness within ourselves, but no one, not even DJ twitch, knows how to handle the pressure of his life when the cameras are off. 

Ms. Butterfly Genesis