Allison Holker claims in her new book that her late husband Stephen “tWitch” Boss left her with substantial debt following his death.
“It’s a misconception that I inherited Stephen’s wealth. The reality is quite different,” Holker, 36, wrote in her This Far: My Story of Love, Loss, and Embracing the Light memoir, released on Tuesday, February 4. “He had given away substantial sums of money to family and friends and spent recklessly on drugs and his weird art collections. The tax bill that he left me with for the year he died was $1 million.”
Holker wrote that it was “a terrible surprise” hearing the money news from the “distressed” accountant who delivered it.
“Paying that debt depleted his accounts,” she wrote, noting that they had “always maintained separate bank accounts” throughout their marriage.
“I had been under the impression that the arrangement was working just fine. He managed his income, and I managed mine, and we divvied up the bills. Easy-peasy. Or so I thought,” Holker continued. “In truth, nothing was easy. I’m still jumping through endless bureaucratic hoops because Stephen didn’t leave a will.”
Holker was married to tWitch for nine years before he died by suicide in December 2022. In fact, tWitch’s death came days after the couple celebrated their anniversary.
The former Dancing With the Stars pro wrote that “the financial mess” after her husband’s death “provided a distraction” from the grieving. (Holker wrote she had to “let go” of people who worked for them to pay off some of the debts.)
“I couldn’t solely focus on mourning in those first few months because I was preoccupied with reworking contracts, rebuilding my business network, and getting my finances in order,” Holker explained. “The surprises seemed never-ending.”
She claimed that the family had “no medical insurance” following tWitch’s death because they were listed on his policy. The former Ellen DeGeneres Show star also “neglected” to pay his family’s homeowner’s insurance as well — and Holker had to “catch up” on those bills. She also admitted to keeping up tWitch’s car payments until selling his vehicle in 2024.
“Contrary to popular belief, I am not profiting significantly from his residuals, as Stephen’s work primarily involved reality shows, where they are minimal,” she continued. “I claimed them mostly to ensure the taxes were properly paid. The bills he left for me were overwhelming.”
Holker wrote that she’s “still in the trenches” when it comes to money.
“If he had known how much of our hard-earned money would go to pay lawyers’ fees to clean up the mess he left me with, would it have made any difference?” she wondered in the book. “I’d like to believe it would have. Stephen left me with double the work, double the noise, double the hardships, double the confusion — and half the household earnings.”
This Far is out now.
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