Stephen 'tWitch' Boss 'Felt Silenced' in Allison Holker Marriage, His Brother Dre Rose Claims: 'He Couldn't Get It Out'

Mar. 15, 2025

Stephen “tWitch” Boss’s mom,Connie Boss Alexander, and his brother, Dre Rose, are speaking out.

On Tuesday, Feb. 11, the mother-son duo appeared onCBS Morningsto address a few claims made in the memoir of the late dancer’s widow,Allison Holker— namely how she allegedly found drugs inside his closet after hisdeath in December 2022, as well as the family’s experience following the tragedy.

Dre, who worked with Stephen, said his brother would often confide in him about struggling with issues like imposter syndrome and together, they would devise ways to tackle his insecurities. Those kinds of conversations were difficult for Stephen to have with Holker, Dre said.

“So in my opinion, [from] our conversations that he had with me, he felt silenced. He couldn’t get it out.”

(L-R) Stephen ‘tWitch Boss and Dre Rose.Stephen tWitch Boss/Instagram

Stephen tWitch Boss/Instagram

King asked, “He felt silenced in his own home?” and Dre continued, “Yes, often. Often. And he loved his wife, he loved his kids. He would definitely give them his last. But in any situation in which you can’t have a conversation and get resolve, it becomes one-sided.”

“And I believe, cause you asked about their relationship, I can say that there’s many conversations that there’s no resolve. But he would always say to me, ‘This is life. The lights are on.’”

(L-R) Stephen “tWitch” Boss and Allison Holker Boss at the Critics Choice Association 5th Annual Celebration of Black Cinema & Television held at the Fairmont Century Plaza on December 5, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty

Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty

In Holker’s memoir,This Far: My Story of Love, Loss, and Embracing the Light, which was released on Feb. 4, she detailed some of her husband’s private journal entries and also revealed his history with sexual abuse as a child — another revelation that shocked his family.

“That was new,” Dre told King. “It was a shock to me, it was a shock to our father. Because when that comes up it’s like, ‘Well hold on. A male figure.’ So now you have our family looking at each other like, ‘Well, what happened?’ And we didn’t know anything happened of that nature.”

Stephen tWitch Boss on TODAY on July 5, 2022.Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images

Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images

Weeks after theEllen DeGeneres Showco-executive producer and longtime deejay died at age 40, Holker told PEOPLE that she uncovered a “cornucopia” of drugs — including mushrooms, pills and “other substances I had to look up on my phone” — hidden inside his shoeboxes.

“I was with one of my really dear friends, and we were cleaning out the closet and picking out an outfit forhim for the funeral,” she recalled. “It was areally triggering momentfor me because there were a lot of things I discovered in our closet that I did not know existed. It was very alarming to me to learn that there was so much happening that I had no clue [about].”

Though she said the experience was a “really scary moment in my life to figure that out,” she added that the discovery helped her “process that he was going through so much and he was hiding so much, and there must have been a lot of shame in that.”

Holker also said she combed through Stephen’s journals looking for answers and closure, when she learned that her husband had been keeping painful secrets from those closest to him.

Stephen “tWitch” Boss (L) and Allison Holker with their children.Stephen tWitch Boss/Instagram

“It was really hard to put all the pieces together. Through certain discussions, even with friends and things that have been said, reading through his journals … you realize he went through a lot as a child and never faced it,” she continued. “It’s hard to think that he never opened up to someone and wanted to face it, to get through on the other side. I really hope people dealing with the same thing will help themselves out of the shadows and [know] you’re going to be okay.”

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After speaking out about the book, Holker faced backlash online from Stephen’s fans and loved ones. She lateraddressed the criticism, writing on social media: “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 to help other people. 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.”

The dancer’s brother said onCBS Morningsthat he saw “no accountability” in the statement she released. “I see no accountability in the fact that the family had to find out about these things in the matter that they did. And if that is what you want to convey or share to the public, bringing up someone’s journal entries, that’s not how you expose it. It could have been, ‘Hey this is my experience and I want to let people know what to look for.’ But to use my brother’s name and to make it seem like he had this serious addiction problem and this sexual abuse allegation — that could have been true — but that, I don’t think that’s the reason why my brother isn’t here today.”

Stephen tWitch Boss’ brother Dre Rose and mother Connie Boss Alexander on CBS Mornings on February 11, 2025.CBS Mornings/Youtube

CBS Mornings/Youtube

“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 supported our family these many years.”

source: people.com