Allison Holker on Explaining tWitch's Death to Their Kids: "Daddy's in the Stars"

Loss isn't an easy concept for anyone to understand, but Allison Holker is working on teaching her kids about it. In an interview that aired on the "Today" show on May 3 — her first broadcast interview since the death of her husband, Stephen "tWitch" Boss in December 2022 — she spoke about how her family is recovering from his sudden passing. "I'm looking at you and you seem very strong to me," Hoda Kotb said to Holker. "Is that for you? For the kids? For the world?"

"I think it's for all of them," she responded. "I don't really have any other choice but to be strong." Holker shared three children with her late husband, including son Maddox (7), daughter Zaia (3), and her 14-year-old daughter, Weslie, who tWitch adopted. At the age of 40, tWitch died from an apparent suicide, and Holker said the family has worked hard since then to keep moving forward.

She added that she's had lots of "really hard" conversations with all three of her kids — something she wouldn't wish on anyone. "To us, Daddy's in the stars. So we can go outside and talk to him whenever we want," she said, adding that she still talks to her late husband every night.

"They just ask, 'When is daddy coming back?' and that's a really hard one," she said. "Then it'll be a couple weeks later — 'But does he come back when he's older? Like, when Daddy's older he'll come back?' But they are still children and still obviously want him here."

For her family, Holker said open communication has been key, along with time to process the hurt. "I allow myself to feel it. I'm feeling this much pain because I've had so much love," Holker said. Thankfully, she's also received an outpouring of support from fans and friends like Ellen DeGeneres, who worked with tWitch prior to his passing.

"He 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," Holker said, remembering tWitch's legacy. "He was so much love and light. He really wanted to be everyone's Superman."

If you or a loved one are experiencing suicidal ideation or are at risk, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has several resources and a 24/7 lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.