Stephen 'tWitch' Boss and Ellen DeGeneres' Friendship Timeline

The sudden passing of Stephen "tWitch" Boss has sent shockwaves throughout Hollywood, after the beloved DJ on Ellen DeGeneres' eponymous talk show died at the age of 40.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner confirmed to Newsweek that Boss's cause of death was suicide. He was found on Tuesday morning in the room of a short-term rental apartment block in Encino, California.

Boss's wife, Allison Holker, said in a statement to People that the TV personality "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.

"To say he left a legacy would be an understatement, and his positive impact will continue to be felt," she continued. "I am certain there won't be a day that goes by that we won't honor his memory. We ask for privacy during this difficult time for myself and especially for our three children.

"Stephen, we love you, we miss you, and I will always save the last dance for you," she concluded in a personal message to the So You Think You Can Dance judge.

News of his passing sparked a flood of tributes across social media from a number of celebrities, including DeGeneres, who took to Instagram to share a photo of herself embracing Boss on what appeared to be the set of their show.

"I'm heartbroken," the comedian captioned the image. "tWitch was pure love and light. He was my family, and I loved him with all my heart. I will miss him. Please send your love and support to Allison and his beautiful children—Weslie, Maddox, and Zaia."

Newsweek has looked at back at the timeline of Boss's friendship with DeGeneres.

Dancing Duo

Fans got a taste of what was to come during the Season 7 finale of So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) in 2010, when DeGeneres made a surprise appearance alongside Boss, to wow viewers with a choreographed routine.

The routine had originally been performed by Boss and fellow dancer Alex Wong earlier in the season. But after Wong was side-lined with an injury, DeGeneres made an appearance in the finale to pay tribute.

After dancing to Lil Jon and LMFAO's hit "Outta Your Mind," DeGeneres spoke on the stage with Wong, whose injury she said "broke my heart."

"I hope this is an inspiration," DeGeneres said of her routine. "It doesn't matter if you've never had a dance lesson in your life, which I haven't—maybe you could tell. But everyone should do this. It's so much fun."

Boss's roots with SYTYCD run deep, as he was a runner-up on Season 4 of the show in 2008. He returned as an all-star for Seasons 7 through 9.

Working on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show'

Boss started off as a recurring guest DJ on The Ellen DeGeneres Show back in 2014, appearing in the studio multiple times a week. He also co-hosted with DeGeneres for an episode.

As fans would well be aware, music was a big part of DeGeneres' daytime show from its 2003 debut, with the comedian dancing her way onto the stage at the start of each episode during earlier seasons.

Such was Boss's popularity that he became a permanent part of the show later in 2014.

Billboard Surprise

Long known for generously handing out quirky gifts, DeGeneres surprised Boss with a memorable gesture in 2018—his own billboard.

"I realized that all these other DJs have, like, huge billboards all over the city, all over the place, and you don't," DeGeneres told Boss at the time. "And they're all the same—they're angry, angry people with just a plain background."

To illustrate her point, she showed the billboards of celebrity DJs Steve Aoki, Calvin Harris, and Hardwell—much to the amusement of the studio audience.

"So anyway, you deserve a billboard, although I can't afford that," she went on. "So what I did was I put you on a bus stop at Olive [Avenue in Los Angeles]."

A speechless Boss was then seen laughing uncontrollably as DeGeneres unveiled the image of the bus stop in question, which depicted the dancer posing shirtless.

Defending DeGeneres

After six years of being a beloved fixture on DeGeneres' show, Boss's status was elevated to co-executive producer in 2020, alongside showrunners Mary Connelly, Andy Lassner, and Derek Westervelt.

His promotion came as the show parted ways with three other producers, the New York Post reported at the time.

DeGeneres' image took a hit in July 2020, when Buzzfeed News published an article in which numerous allegations were made about her show being a toxic work environment behind the scenes.

She was also criticized by certain celebrities.

In a segment at the start of Season 18 of the show in September 2020, DeGeneres said of the reports: "I learned that things happen here that never should have happened. I take that very seriously. And I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected."

Boss also spoke out in defense of DeGeneres and her show, insisting that there was "love" behind the scenes, despite the allegations.

"We can't speak too much legally about it, but I'll say this, there's been love," he told Us Weekly in 2020. "Obviously there's some things to address, but from my standpoint and from countless others, there's been love.

"I'll just leave it at that until there's a time where we can address more publicly. There's been love, and there will continue to be love."

Birthday Tribute

To mark Boss's birthday in September 2021, DeGeneres surprised him on the show by showing a montage of some of his best moments together on camera.

The montage included clips of Boss dancing, taking part in a Bridgerton parody, guest hosting the show, holding a snake, and getting waxed, among many other feelgood moments.

"I am so very grateful that I get to look at your face every single day. I love you so much, tWitch, and I couldn't do the show without you," DeGeneres said in the montage.

After the video played, Boss and DeGeneres said that they love one another and hugged as the studio audience applauded.

DeGeneres rounded out the tribute by gifting Boss a large birthday cake, as his wife and their children made a surprise appearance in the studio.

End of an Era

In May of this year, as her long-running show came to an end, DeGeneres opted to forgo sharing a montage of the best celebrity moments on the daytime favorite and instead honored Boss. The gesture brought Boss to tears.

"Over a decade ago, I met someone who changed my life, and our show," she said. "And I'm talking about you, tWitch, come here."

As Boss joined her on the main stage, DeGeneres told an emotional Boss: "I love you so much and it's been an emotional week ... You always make me smile and laugh. Anyway, we put a little something together just to say how much we all love you here."

DeGeneres then unveiled the video, which showed her fighting back tears as she said of Boss: "I don't want to say goodbye."

"I love you like crazy," DeGeneres told a choked up Boss, who responded: "I love you and also I love the family that we've gained here. Something that I'll always remember is that you gave me a place where I can just be myself."

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "988" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.