Allison Holker Boss, the widow of The Ellen DeGeneres Show deejay Stephen “tWitch” Boss, says she’s speaking out about her husband’s suicide to raise awareness about mental health and “hopefully to make people feel comfortable asking for help.”
Holker Boss, in her first major TV interview since her husband’s death in December, sat down with Today co-anchor Hoda Kotb this morning, timed to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Month. Earlier this year, Holker Boss launched the Move With Kindness Foundation in honor of her late husband.
Partnering with a local branch of the National Alliance of Mental Illness, Holker boss said she and her family hope to foster awareness around mental health issues including self-harm.
“What I really love is to bring awareness to mental health, opening up conversations and hopefully make people comfortable asking for help,” said Holker Boss, who met her future husband on So You Think You Can Dance.
Watch the entire segment above.
Holker Boss also addressed her friendship with DeGeneres, saying “she has been a huge support system for me,” and spoke about answering her children’s questions about their father.
“It’s honestly something I don’t wish for anybody but if I’ve learned anything it is that communication is key,” she said. “For us, daddy is in the stars so we can go out and talk to him anytime we want.” She added though that the two younger of the couple’s three kids aged 14, 7 and 3 still ask if their father is gone forever. She said they ask, “Will he come back when he’s older?”
Her husband, she said, “wanted to be the strong one for everyone and I think that was a little scary for him to think that he might need to ask for help. He was so much love and light. He really wanted to be everyone’s Superman, and he said that a lot.”
If you or someone you know are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.