An eerie video has emerged of a former executive producer of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" standing in front of DJ Stephen "tWitch" Boss and advising the show's crew, "Don't keep in the pain," as the talk show came to a close last spring. The video comes amid reports that Stephen "tWitch" Boss did not appear to be "visibly upset" days before he committed suicide.
Boss, who died by suicide on Tuesday, was in fact "happy" even 72 hours before the 40-year-old was found dead in a room at the Oak Tree Motel in LA, a 15-minute walk from his LA home. Boss died from a self-inflicted gunshot.
Strange Coincidence
Amid all the speculation about why Boss killed himself the eerie video shows how one of the executive producers of The Ellen DeGeneres Show" talked about depression. The short video shows the then-EP Andy Lassner telling his show's crew "Don't keep in the pain," while tWitch stands behind him and is seen listening to him.
"Keep each other close, don't keep in the pain, talk to someone — anyone," Lassner is seen telling the crew members. The haunting video was uploaded to Instagram on Wednesday by Johanna Fuentes, a former senior communications executive at Warner Bros.
In the short clip, Lassner is seen speaking to the cast and crew following the taping of the final episode, which aired in May, in front of Boss and fellow showrunner Mary Connelly.
Boss was found dead by a maid after he failed to check out of the Oak Tree Inn in Encino, California, on Tuesday. According to reports, he had booked the hotel room only a day before. Hotel staffers told TMZ that Boss "didn't appear to be in any sort of distress and wasn't visibly upset about anything."
The Los Angeles Medical Examiner's autopsy revealed that Boss, who had stayed at the motel on Monday and was less than a mile from his home, had shot himself in the head.
In fact, before Boss died, he sent his grandfather a "I love you Dad-Dad" text message and posted a birthday greeting to him on social media four days earlier.
Everything Mysterious
Lassner hinted in the unearthed footage at the severe toll the end of the long-running show would have on his coworkers. Lassner said in the now-ominous tape, which was recorded during the star-studded, "emotional" finale of the contentious series, "It is a life change and we're all going through it,"
DeGeneres' talk show was plagued by claims of a "toxic" workplace for years, and the host dealt with several accusations of unfavorable workplace behavior for which she later apologized.
"It's OK to be sad and to reach out to each other because nobody knows this exact experience other than the people who work here," Lassner continued in the clip, adding that the group "went through it together" and "should be proud" of the work created on the show over its 19-year run.
Fuentes described Boss as "an immense talent who brought joy to every room he walked into" and said she was "devastated" by his death in the caption she wrote for the video.
Boss' wife Allison Holker confirmed in a statement to People that DJ committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. "It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us," the statement read.
"Stephen lit up every room he stepped into. He valued family, friends and community above all else and leading with love and light was everything to him. He was the backbone of our family, the best husband and father, and an inspiration to his fans."
According to law enforcement sources, Holker, a professional dancer who has also been on "So You Think You Can Dance," reportedly hurried frantically into an LAPD station and stated that her husband had left the house without his car, which she claimed was unusual for him.
Then, a call came in informing police that Boss had been found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a hotel room in Los Angeles.
The couple celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary just three days ahead of the tragedy and Holker posted a touching message online. They got married in 2013 and have three children together. They also co-hosted "Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings" on Disney +. Boss is survived by his wife and their three children—Weslie, 14; Maddox, 6; and Zaia, 3—are left to carry on his legacy.
Two days before his death, the couple also shared a video of a beginner's dance cardio workout on their YouTube page. In the video, they both looked happy. It is not known what prompted Boss to kill himself. Police have launched an investigation and more details will be shared later.
tWitch debuted in 2014 as a DJ on Ellen DeGeneres' self-titled daytime series before being promoted to executive producer in 2020. He remained with her until the embattled 2022 finale.
