Ellen DeGeneres is remembering her late friend, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, one year after his death. Boss, who was the DJ and frequent co-host of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Dec. 13, 2022, in Los Angeles. He was 40.
DeGeneres shared some treasured memories of Boss in an Instagram video Wednesday.
“I loved that every single day after the show, we would sing and dance to some song, and then we would make each other laugh somehow,” she said in the video. “And then we would walk off, arm in arm … and I would say, ‘I love you,’ and he’d say, ‘Love you much.’”
“And every single day, that’s how we ended the show, arm in arm,” she added. “I miss that.”
DeGeneres was already filming season 11 of her show when Boss, a former “So You Think You Can Dance” contestant, reportedly joined as a guest DJ in 2014. He eventually became a beloved cohort of DeGeneres’, and a staple of the show, which often required traveling.
DeGeneres recalled filming at Miraval, a resort and spa focused on mindfulness in Arizona, where Boss successfully scaled a sizable pole and balanced atop it. She said it was “one of the most fun shoots” they ever had, and “one of the last trips” they ever took.
The talk show said goodbye after 19 seasons last May.
Mike Rozman/Warner Brothers/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
“So, his memory lives on,” she added in the Instagram video. “I love him so much. I miss him so much. And it’s a reminder, every single day, that you just don’t know what people are going through, because he was a happy guy, I thought.”
Boss was found dead at the Oak Tree Inn motel in Los Angeles, according to a coroner’s report obtained by the Los Angeles Times. There were no drugs or alcohol in his system at the time of his death; a note alluding to “past challenges” was found.
“I was really close to him, and he never shared that with me,” DeGeneres said Wednesday.
“So, that is sad, that he didn’t feel like he could find a way out and share that he was struggling,” she continued. “Because we all would have done anything we could to help him. I miss him every single day, but I have amazing memories of him.”
Boss is survived by his widowed wife Allison Holker and their two children.
If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for mental health support. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention.