Stephen Boss, better known as tWitch [1]Deadline, (1982–2022) was an American freestyle hip hop dancer, choreographer, actor, television producer, and television personality. He gained popularity as contestant-turned-judge on Fox’s dance competition TV show So You Think You Can Dance. In 2014, Boss joined The Ellen DeGeneres Show as a guest DJ and eventually became a permanent fixture on the series. Later, he co-hosted Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings with his wife, Allison Holker. On December 13, 2022, Stephen Boss committed suicide in a Los Angeles hotel room.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Stephen Laurel Boss [2]Deadline was born on Wednesday, September 29, 1982 (age 40 years; at the time of death), in Montgomery, Alabama, US. His zodiac sign is Libra.
Childhood picture of Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss with his mother
In 2000, he graduated from Lee High School in Montgomery, Alabama. He studied dance at the Southern Union State Community College in Wadley, Alabama, and Chapman University in Orange, California. [3]Deadline He grew up watching the King of Pop Michael Jackson. Stephen credits MJ as being the reason he started dancing. MJ’s Billie Jean, Smooth Criminal, Beat It, Rock With You, and Bad were some of his favorites.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 6′
Hair Colour: Bald
Eye Colour: Black
Body Measurements (approx.): Chest: 40″, Waist: 32″, Biceps: 16″
Family
Parents & Siblings
His mother’s name is Connie Boss Alexander, and his father’s name is Sandford Rose. His brother’s name is Deondre Rose.
Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss with his mother and brother
Wife & Children
On December 11, 2013, Stephen Boss got married to Allison Holker at Nigel Lythgoe’s Villa San Juliette Vineyard and Winery in Paso Robles, California. Allison is an American dancer, choreographer, and actress. She hosted Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings, a documentary television series, on Freeform and Disney+. Together, the couple has two children, a daughter, Zaia Boss (born in 2019), and a son, Maddox Laurel Boss (born in 2016). Allison Holker had a daughter, Weslie Renae Fowler (born in 2008), with her previous partner whom Stephen Boss adopted after marriage.
A wedding picture of Stephen Boss and Allison Holker
Stephen Boss with his wife, Allison Holker, and children
Other Relatives
His grandfather’s name is Eddy Boss. His two grandmothers are Elnora Rose and Marie Boss.
Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss with his grandfather Eddy Boss
Relationships/Affairs
Stephen Boss and Allison Holker dated each other for three years. The couple first met in 2010 at a party at the end of a season of So You Think You Can Dance. He proposed to her while they were filming choreography for a Microsoft commercial.
Career
Reality TV
In 2003, he was a semifinalist on MTV’s The Wade Robson Project. He was a runner-up in the television talent competition Star Search (2003). In season 3 of the dance competition TV show So You Think You Can Dance (2005) on Fox, tWitch was beaten out by the Japanese breakdancer Hokuto Konishi, and he didn’t make it to the top 20. In the following season of SYTYCD, he secured second place, behind hip-hop dancer Joshua Allen. During Season 4 of SYTYCD, he collaboratively gave a dance performance with Katee Shean, a contemporary piece on the song Mercy by Duffy, which was choreographed by Mia Michaels. [4]Mia Michaels – YouTube The dance was nominated for the 2009 Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography. In 2010, he was chosen as one of the 10 All-Star dancers for SYTYCD’s season 7.
Stephen Laurel tWitch (left) in the All-Star Season of SYTYCD
One of his memorable routines includes the hip-hop number “Outta Your Mind” with ballet dancer Alex Wong, which was reprised by comedian Ellen DeGeneres in Season 7’s finale. He was a judge on the show in 2018 and 2022. In 2013, he performed on Dancing with the Stars, before beginning his association with Ellen DeGeneres. From 2014 to 2022, he co-hosted The Ellen DeGeneres Show, a comedy talk show that aired in syndication, which catapulted him to stardom. Boss was made an executive producer of the show in 2020. He also featured in Ellen’s Game of Games as a sidekick to DeGeneres.
Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss and Ellen DeGeneres on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
In 2017, tWitch and Allison started hosting Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings, a documentary television series featuring couples and their Disney-themed weddings, airing on Disney’s Freeform network and the Disney+ streaming service.
Stephen Laurel tWitch hosting Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings
Film
In 2007, he made his film debut with an uncredited role as a dancer in the American sports comedy film Blades of Glory. In the same year, he appeared as a background dancer in the musical romantic comedy film Hairspray. After finding fame as a dancer, Boss explored an acting career. He appeared in the “Step Up” franchise, Step Up 3D (2010), Step Up Revolution (2012), and Step Up: All In (2014), in which he played the role of Jason Hardlerson. He also featured in the comedy-drama film Magic Mike XXL (2015)
Stephen “Twitch” Boss (left) and Channing Tatum in Magic Mike XXL (2015)
In 2022, he played the role of Dad in The Hip Hop Nutcracker.
Television and OTT
In 2010, he played the role of Russell Leonard in the crime procedural comedy-drama TV series Bones. Other shows in which he acted include Drop Dead Diva (2012), Love (2016), and Modern Family (2018).
Others
He choreographed for South Korean pop/R&B singer, Se7en. He taught dance classes and held workshops all over the world. He was a member of the dance troupes Breed OCLA and Chill Factor Crew. In December 2009, he appeared in several sketch-series videos on the comedy collective TheKommune.com. He founded a clothing line, tWitch Boss Clothing.
Death
On December 13, 2022, Allison Holker informed officials at the Los Angeles Police Department that tWitch had left their home without taking his car, which was unusual behavior. Police received a call about a shooting at the Oak Tree Inn in Encino, Los Angeles, where Boss was found dead. Reportedly, he committed suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot. [5]Deadline Although his death was confirmed by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, the office did not state the death cause.
Oak Tree Inn in Encino, Los Angeles, where Boss was found dead
Facts/Trivia
- In an interview, he said that he had derived his nickname from his 1992 aqua-green Toyota Paseo car which he referred to as tWitch. He started using the name when he was 20 and first started dancing. In an interview, while talking about the same he said,
I took (the name) Twitch when I was about 20-years-old because that was when I first started dancing, going places and teaching dance, and a lot of my dance knowledge and a lot of my dance thoughts took place in that car. Driving from place to place. Whether it was to Huntsville, Tuscaloosa, Bessemer, Birmingham, whatever. I’d choreograph in the car.”
However, some media houses say that he started dancing as a teenager and earned the nickname tWitch because he could not stop moving in school or in church.
- He was a comic book fan, especially the Superman comics.
- His Jack Russel mix dog is named Krypto.
- He had tattoos on his left arm, the inside of his left bicep, and the inside of his right bicep.
A picture showcasing Stephen Laurel tWitch’s tattoo
An image showcasing Stephen Laurel tWitch’s tattoo
A picture featuring Stephen Laurel tWitch’s tattoo
- In an interview, he said that had he not become a dancer, he would have joined the navy.
- He was a non-vegetarian. In an interview, he revealed that he loved chicken fingers from FlyBoys Grill and Catering in Huntsville. [6]AL.com
