Allison Holker Boss Overcomes Grief and Honors Late Husband’s Legacy with ‘Move With Kindness’ Foundation
Allison Holker Boss, the 35-year-old dancer, is opening up about her late husband, Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, and the little things she misses the most since his passing. Allison Holker Boss Overcomes
In a recent interview with People, Holker shared that “Stephen would hold my back every time I walked past him,” recalling the intimacy of their relationship.
The couple had so many random conversations, and their home was like a choreographed dance filled with love and laughter.
Unfortunately, the Boss died by suicide at 40 in December of 2021, leaving Holker and their children in grief.
Holker has been struggling to understand the circumstances surrounding her husband’s death. “It’s been really hard because I can’t understand what was happening at that moment (he died),” she said.
The mom of three has been navigating her way through the tough emotions and has had a hard time understanding her purpose.
However, a conversation with her friend, Andy Grammer, is helping her to move forward. “How am I going to live out still what I know is my purpose — love, and joy — and has always been my family’s purpose?” she asked Grammer.
He reminded her that that still is her purpose, even if it looks slightly different. In honor of Boss’ legacy, Holker has launched a foundation called “Move With Kindness.”
The foundation is based in Los Angeles and aims to spread love and mental health awareness. On the foundation’s website, Holker and her children invite visitors to donate to honor their father.
Holker and Boss shared a son Maddox, 7, and a daughter Zaia, 3. Holker also has a 14-year-old daughter, Weslie Fowler, from a previous relationship, which Boss adopted.
Holker wants to break the stigma around mental health and encourages people to reach out to others for help. “Trust that people are still going to see you as that light even in your darkest moments,” she said.
Mental health professionals believe Boss’ death represents a sobering reality: Black men, in particular, have been taught that expressing mental health struggles is a sign of weakness.
More Ari Brown, a marriage and family therapist, told USA TODAY in December, “For Black men, there’s a lot of pressure to be less vulnerable, always to show strength, to never show people that things are getting to you.”
Instead, Holker wants to remind everyone that it is okay to lean on someone else when feeling low or depressed. Boss was known as “tWitch” on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” where he worked as a dancer, DJ, and co-host.
He joined the show as a guest DJ in 2014 and later became a permanent fixture, ultimately being named the show’s co-executive producer in 2020.
“Ellen” ended its 19-year run last May. The circumstances surrounding Boss’ struggles remain unclear to the public, but his legacy lives on through Holker’s foundation and the love of his family.