'Bachelorette' Star Josh Seiter Is ALIVE, Says Hacker Played 'Cruel Joke' With Death Hoax
Aug. 29 2023, Published 2:31 p.m. ET
Reality star Josh Seiter is "alive and well," the Season 11 Bachelorette alum confirmed himself in a video claiming a hacker was responsible for his shocking death hoax, RadarOnline.com has learned.
"For the last 24 hours, I've been trying desperately to get into [my account]," the former ABC personality said on Tuesday following his reported passing at age 36.
"Somebody was playing a cruel joke and mocking my mental illness and the struggles I've got through with depression and suicide attempts," Seiter said in a statement to set the record straight. "I'm sorry for all the pain they caused when they made that post."
The now-deleted statement appeared to have been posted by his family, sharing the "tragic news" of his "unexpected" death.
In June, Seiter had celebrated three years and eight months of sobriety.
"As all who knew him can attest, Joshua was an incredibly bright light in an increasingly dim world. His fearless voice and indomitable spirit helped thousands of people in their darkest moments feel just a little less alone," the death post read.
Seiter turned off the comments on his latest video and told his nearly 500k followers he was looking into who took over his page.
"I just got back into my account. I'm going to do all I can with my team to try to identify who was behind this, but again, I apologize for the confusion and I will update you guys as more facts come in," he explained.
Seiter rose to fame as the heavily tattooed contestant of Kaitlyn Bristowe's season in 2015 before he was eliminated the first week, having since made headlines over a string of reality TV romances.
The OnlyFans content creator had dated TLC star Yolanda Leak following her time on the series 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days. The pair got engaged in October 2020 before splitting up for good the following month, In Touch Weekly reported.
He was also linked to Love After Lockup stars Lizzie Kommes and Glorietta Besos.
Seiter's death hoax came weeks after another had sent shockwaves.
Controversial influencer Lil Tay, 14, and her brother Jason Tian were claimed to have died "unexpectedly" in a now-deleted social media post later debunked by the social media sensation.
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"I want to make it clear that my brother and I are safe and alive, but I'm completely heartbroken, and struggling to even find the right words to say," she shared on August 10.
"It's been a very traumatizing 24 hours. All day yesterday, I was bombarded with endless heartbreaking and tearful phone calls from loved ones all while trying to sort out this mess."