Allison Holker’s This Far: My Story of Love, Loss, and Embracing the Light memoir has sparked varying reactions from the dance community and late husband Stephen “tWitch” Boss’ family.
Ahead of the book’s publication, Holker, 36, spoke to People in an interview published on Tuesday, January 7, claiming that she learned Boss had struggled with addiction, childhood sexual abuse and more in journal entries she read after his death. (Boss died by suicide in December 2022 at the age of 40.)
After the interview, several of Boss’ friends and relatives were frustrated that Holker chose to detail his apparent struggles in her memoir and a magazine interview. Holker, for her part, has said that her intention is to shine a light on addiction and mental health battles to help others.
“Just trying to help people feel safe to ask for help and support,” she wrote via Instagram comment on Tuesday, responding to one critical online comment.
Holker also reposted several positive fan comments on her Instagram Story. One read, “@allisonholker is such a brave woman. These last couple of years have been painful for anyone who was a fan of Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss. I was heartbroken when I heard what happened. She is an example of how perseverance can pay off.”
Another fan praised Holker for “opening up the way [she did,]” adding, “You always take everything with so much grace, power and positivity. Nobody does it like you.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Holker’s team for comment.
Holker later shared what she said was her “only intention” in writing about Boss in her memoir.
“I want to be clear that my only intention in writing the book is to share my own story as well as part of my life with Stephen,” she wrote via Instagram Story on Wednesday, January 8. “Just like you, I never really knew what happened and even as I am trying to put the pieces together, I will never really know. If you decide to read the book, hopefully, you’ll see my intention is to celebrate the love and life I shared with Stephen and our three beautiful children and also the more complex aspects of both of our lives.”
She added, “I hope that by sharing our full story, maybe I can help someone else who might see themselves in or a loved one in Stephen. In sharing, I hope that maybe they can catch some of the red flags that I missed before it’s too late.”
According to Holker, she’s spoken with multiple advocates since Boss’ death to “better educate” herself on mental health issues. She further revealed that all the proceeds from her memoir are going to fund “a mental health-focused foundation [she] started in Stephen’s honor, Move With Kindness.”
“My hope is that we don’t need to lose another, husband, brother, father or friend to suicide,” she concluded. “I believe that if Stephen were able to choose, he would choose to have his story told if it meant saving even one life. Much love to all those who have supported our family these many years.”
Keep scrolling to see how Boss’ friends and family — as well as the dance community as a whole — reacted to the memoir revelations:
Courtney Platt
Platt appeared on season 4 of So You Think You Can Dance alongside Boss and returned as an All-Star for season 7 alongside Boss and Holker. Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, Platt said that she had been there for all of Holker and Boss’ biggest relationship milestones.
“This is by far the most tacky, classless, opportunistic act I have ever seen in my entire life,” Platt alleged. “We all had to sign some weird NDA to attend his funeral (even his own mother who you’ve treated like garbage this entire time and let’s just remember you wouldn’t have even had a husband if it wasn’t for her) not to share anything or ruin his name as if that was on anyone’s mind in the first place and here you go and write a book with all the dirty laundry smearing his name and attempting to dim the bright loyal, loving, light that was your husband, my friend.”
She added, “Whether any of it is true or not is actually beside the point. This is how you protect the ‘Boss name’ you so quickly dropped on your social media platforms 48 hours after he passed? His legacy? This is how you protect his children from any further humiliation, hurt and despair? This is what you want them to remember about him? You have moved on, you’re living your life, you’re on every carpet you can get on, every celebrity row you can sit in, every magazine you can be in and you needed to do this? Get a journal, a therapist, a friend … but publishing a book shamelessly sharing the pages of your husband’s journal? People magazine? What a joke.”
Platt further implored: “Let my friend Rest in Peace not your PR.”
Comfort Fedoke
Fedoke, another SYTYCD alum who mostly recently served as a mentor on season 18 alongside Holker, reshared Platt’s message onto her Instagram Stories.
“Lies and Fairytales,” Fedoke wrote. “Stephen said this to me in my dreams when he passed: Nothing is what it seems. [Courtney,] I am right behind you. I’m done with this girl. You are an evil woman and completely disgusting. How dare you try to destroy my brother’s name.”
Chelsie Hightower
Hightower — a SYTYCD and Dancing With the Stars alum — noted in a Tuesday Instagram Story post that she’d known Holker “since I was an early teen” and was disappointed by the memoir claims.
“Seeing her choose to share such deeply personal details about tWitch’s struggles feels so disappointing and inappropriate,” she wrote. “Twitch was an incredibly kind and loving man, who always looked out for others, making everyone feel included and valued, myself included. He deserves to be remembered for the light he brought into this world, not reduced to his struggles.”
Hightower further noted that Platt’s comments “speak to the heart of this situation.”
Allison Holker found closure after husband Stephen “tWitch” Boss‘ death by reading his journals. “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,” Holker, 36, told People on Tuesday, […]
Dré Rose
Boss’ brother has reposted several critical comments on his Instagram Story.
“No lies told,” he wrote, linking to Platt’s post.
Elle Noir
“She won’t let our family see the kids,” Boss’ cousin claimed via X. “He wasn’t an addict. He smoked weed and was actively trying to quit. He wasn’t some junkie. … All she claims is ‘Weed and mushrooms and some pills’ but doesn’t specify the pills. And weed and shrooms. I get we may have different opinions on it but she’s framing it like he did METH or something like bffr.”
Jenna Dewan
Dewan, a friend of Holker, praised Holker’s authenticity in an Instagram Story post, which Holker uploaded on her page.
“Love u @allisonholker,” Dewan wrote. “Sharing this will help others know to reach out for help.”
Stephen “tWitch” Boss‘ widow, Allison Holker, sat down for her first televised interview since his death by suicide. “I still feel like the rest of the world where I’m still shocked,” the dance pro, 35, told Hoda Kotb during an interview on the Wednesday, May 3, episode of the Today show. “No one’s ready for […]
Danielle Polanco
Pro dancer Polanco, who appeared in the Step Up franchise with Boss, is trying to hold onto the positive memories of Boss.
“We miss our boy,” she wrote via Instagram comment. “Everyone who knew him, let’s keep his amazing memory alive by talking about how amazing he actually was. I just remember every time he was in NYC he would want to know where to go for the underground house and hip-hop parties. He was a real one.”
She added, “Always willing to learn more. I wasn’t super close to him but jam I miss his smile, his talent and his overall presence in general. What a beautiful guy ❤️.”
Connie Boss Alexander
Boss’ mother addressed the criticism in a Thursday, January 9, social media statement.
“Our family is absolutely appalled by the misleading and hurtful claims made about my son, Stephen Boss. The recent publications spreading untruths about Stephen have crossed every line of decency,” Boss Alexander wrote via Instagram. “As his mother, I will not let these accusations go unanswered. We will not stand by while his name and legacy are tarnished. He doesn’t deserve this, and the kids don’t deserve this.”
She added, “For the last two years, I have remained quiet and away from the public eye to protect my family. My primary focus has been on healing and attempting to remain connected to my grandchildren. But when I read these dreadful claims about my baby, our beloved Stephen, I realized I could not stay silent any longer. Our family will ensure his name and memory are protected, and we are committed to defending his honor.”
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