‘Ellen’ producer warned Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, staff to not ‘keep in pain’ in eerie video
An eerie video has surfaced of a former executive producer of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” standing in front of DJ Stephen “tWitch” Boss — who was found Tuesday after he died by suicide — and telling the show’s crew, “Don’t keep in the pain,” as the talk show wrapped last spring.
“Keep each other close, don’t keep in the pain, talk to someone — anyone,” then-EP Andy Lassner is seen urging gathered workers in the haunting clip, posted to Instagram Wednesday by Johanna Fuentes, a former senior communications executive at Warner Bros.
The short video shows Lassner in front of Boss and fellow showrunner Mary Connelly, addressing the cast and crew following the taping of the final episode, which aired in May.
Boss, 40, was found Tuesday by a maid at the Oak Tree Inn in Encino, California, after he missed his checkout. Hotel staffers told TMZ that Boss “didn’t appear to be in any sort of distress and wasn’t visibly upset about anything.”
An autopsy conducted by the Los Angeles Medical Examiner determined that Boss — who had checked into the hotel less than a mile from his home on Monday — died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
In the resurfaced video, Lassner alluded to the heavy toll the end of the long-running show could take on his colleagues.
“It is a life change and we’re all going through it,” Lassner told workers in the now-forboding clip, which was shot during the star-studded, “emotional” finale of the controversial series.
For years, DeGeneres’ talk show was plagued by allegations of a “toxic” work environment, and the host faced a string of negative workplace allegations, for which she subsequently 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 produced on the show over its 19-year run.
In her caption for the video, Fuentes said she was “devastated” by Boss’ passing and called him “an immense talent who brought joy to every room he walked into.”
She also echoed Lassner’s words: “As Andy said it best as the show wrapped – let’s keep each other close. Don’t keep in the pain, talk to someone. Anyone.”
Boss’ wife, Allison Holker, 34, confirmed her husband’s passing Wednesday in a heartfelt statement obtained by The Post.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us,” Holker said. “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.”
When Boss went missing, Holker reportedly ran frantically into an LAPD station, saying her husband had left home without his car, which she claimed was unlike him, according to law enforcement sources. Police were later called about a shooting at the LA hotel, where Boss was discovered with a gunshot wound.
DeGeneres also expressed that she was “heartbroken” over the loss of her longtime friend, whom she has supported since he was on the reality competition “So You Think You Can Dance.”
“tWitch was pure love and light. He was my family, and I loved him with all my heart,” said DeGeneres, who hired him as her show’s DJ in 2014. He was promoted to an executive producer in 2020 and stayed on until the embattled finale aired last spring.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
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