Allison Holker's Daughter Defends Stephen "tWitch" Boss Funeral NDAs Amid Backlash

Allison Holker and Stephen "Twitch" Boss never seemed out of step with each other.

And Holker thought she'd found her forever partner in the hip-hop dancer from Alabama, with whom she shared daughter Zaia, 5, son Maddox, 8, and her daughter Weslie, 16, from a previous relationship.

But their life together ended Dec. 13, 2022, when Boss died by suicide—a tragedy that rattled anyone who had followed his upward trajectory since he first flashed his star power as a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance in 2008.

“He was the backbone of our family, the best husband and father, and an inspiration to his fans,” Holker said in her initial statement honoring her spouse of nine years. "To say he left a legacy would be an understatement, and his positive impact will continue to be felt."

But two years after his death, there are members of Boss' family who feel Hoker is doing a disservice to his legacy with her new memoir—and what she has already shared with the world while promoting it.

The 36-year-old, who is now dating tech executive Adam Edmunds, is hardly the first to funnel her experience of the unthinkable into a book. And the life she lived with Boss is hers to speak about as she wishes.

And yet according to the harsh call-outs coming from inside the family, by detailing Boss' struggles—in writing and while promoting the book ahead of its Feb. 4 release—she's telling a story that is not hers to tell.

Holker further shared that, in journals he kept, Boss alluded to being sexually abused by a male figure during his childhood.

"It's hard to think that he never opened up to someone and wanted to face it, to get through on the other side," she said. "I really hope people dealing with the same thing will help themselves out of the shadows and [know] you're going to be okay."

It was also a time of career upheaval, his eight-year run as resident DJ (and eventually an executive producer) on The Ellen DeGeneres Show having come to an end along with the production itself.

But "we were getting ready for this big year," Holker said. "It seemed like, 'Oh, he's taking a resting period,' which he would say he's never had."

Weslie "handles it with far more grace than she should have to," the dancer noted. "We took the steps to really help her and communicate with her and make her feel seen and heard. I think she also sees those words as something beautiful, and also ugly. It's a battle that she's going to always have with herself, but I know she can see it from both sides."

So suffice it to say, Holker has run the gamut of emotions since Boss' death.

"The last two years I was hit with blow after blow after blow," she said. "I have been trying to release all this anger, and I'm learning there's always going to be a moment when I get really sad or really angry or get really confused."

Moreover, she continued, "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."

Fellow SYTYCD alum Comfort Fedoke, who also competed on their season, posted a long missive on Instagram Jan. 8, writing, "Stephen isn’t here to defend himself, yet his name continues to be dragged through the mud. Love doesn't look like this, but manipulation and marketing for personal gain does."

Referencing Platt's post, she added, "As Courtney said, and I'll echo: Stick to your own demons..."

Boss' brother Dré Rose previously brought up the nondisclosure agreement in August 2023, posting a letter he had purportedly written to Holker "as a form of therapy" four months earlier but never sent.

He wrote that their family had "observed a series of actions and attitudes that, in our perspective, do not foster an environment conducive to healing and unity." Rose alleged that Holker's treatment of them seemed a result of their refusal to "agree with the original terms of the NDA" she presented for them to sign. 

Rose also stated that their mother's interactions with Holker and Boss' children had been "noticeably limited" and the family's attempts to foster a relationship with Holker were "met with silence."

She reiterated that their family would ensure Boss' "name and memory are protected" and that they were "committed to defending his honor."

Former Ellen executive producer Andy Lassner showed up in support of Alexander, commenting on her post, "Sending you so much love."

And on his own Instagram Story, Lassner wrote of Boss, “My heart has never stopped hurting for his wife, kids and family. I’m not here to weigh in on what is right or wrong, or what is true or not. But I am here to tell you that the man I knew for many years was an absolute king and I think he deserves to be remembered that way.”

And to a commenter who wrote that the paycheck wasn't worth "disgracing" Boss' name, she replied, "I’ll always love you. Just trying to help people feel safe to ask for help and support.”

On Jan. 8 she went into more detail about her intentions behind the book.

“To fans of Stephen and our family and friends,” she wrote on her Instagram Story, "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.”

She continued, “I never really knew what happened, and even as I am trying to put 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."

Moreover, Holker wrote, all of the proceeds from her book are going to fund "the mental health focused foundation I 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."

And in response to those saying that Boss wouldn't have wanted his personal business out there like this, Holker noted, “I believe that if Stephen were able to choose, he would choose to have his story told if it meant saving even one life."

In addition to extolling Boss' virtues as a father, Weslie defended her mom and tried to clarify the intent behind what she had shared so far about her late husband.