Allison Holker Reveals Emotional Reason Behind Return To SYTYCD After Stephen 'tWitch' Boss' Death

Allison Holker is all about carrying on her late husband Stephen 'tWitch' Boss' legacy no matter how painful it is!

The choreographer made her return to the reality television dance competition "So You Think You Can Dance" earlier this month, and she got candid about the motivation behind her move.

Holker made a rare public appearance at the Fox Spring Premiere and spoke about being a judge on the new season of "So You Think You Can Dance," which premiered on March 4.

The dancer, who described being a judge as a "full circle moment," explained how it felt returning to the set of "SYTYCD," especially since she met her late husband, tWitch, on the competition series.

"Obviously, it comes with a lot of different emotions," Holker confessed. "For me, at the end of the day, this is a way for me to give back to what we are, and I feel like to heal for both of us and to showcase our love again and celebrate him and celebrate what we had and celebrate great dance."

She further told Toofab, "That's what he [tWitch] knew and that's what he did and he delivered so much on that show for so many people, so truly it's a blessing that I get to do this and I think people want to see the show back because of someone like him."

Stephen 'tWitch' Boss, who passed away in December 2022 after taking his life, was one of the prominent competitors that appeared on the Fox reality competition. He rose to fame after emerging as a runner-up in season 4, which was a launching pad for his career as a choreographer and a DJ on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" before he became an executive producer.

Speaking of her late husband's important legacy, Holker emotionally told the outlet, "He did so much in the dance industry for people, he gave so much. And I think we have an opportunity to do that more with other dancers with Maks, with JoJo -- hopefully I can help deliver. But also we just really want to bring light to dance again."

After a heartbreaking year due to her husband's death, Holker enjoyed a ray of sunshine when it was announced in December 2023 that she would be a judge on the dance show.

Fox Network announced that the 36-year-old would be a first-time judge alongside Maksim Chmerkovskiy of "DWTS" to lead the competitors to greatness. Holker and Boss, who were married for nine years, previously slugged it out on the All-Star edition of "SYTYCD."

The lovebirds fell in love in 2010 when they appeared as all-stars on season 7. "We shared a dance at the wrap party of that season of So You Think You Can Dance, and we have been together ever since," the late Boss said of their relationship. "There was no dialogue, conversation, or first hangout. Literally, we danced, and we were together holding hands the very next day."

Their short yet profound marriage was blessed with three children — Weslie, 14, and Zaia, 3, and son Maddox, 7.

On December 14, 2022, Holker confirmed the devastating passing of Boss with a heartbreaking statement that read:

"It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us. 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."

Amid her mourning, Holker did the bravest thing and returned to her and Boss' first love — dancing. In August 2023, the mother-of-three returned to the dance scene after being absent for over eight months. She took to TikTok to share a heartwarming clip of her and her daughter Weslie dancing to the remix of Celine Dion’s "My Heart Will Go On."

In a follow-up clip on Instagram, she and her friend Brittany Russell were seen grooving to Missy Elliot's "Bomb Intro / Pass That Dutch." Commemorating her return to dancing, Holker wrote in the caption, "Truly felt so good to dance again. I was overwhelmed with so many emotions. I was both scared and excited. But dance has always been there for me… even now and I am so grateful for that."

As Holker continues to navigate life without Boss by her side, she is not opposed to giving love a second chance. During a chat with Nick Viall on "The Viall Files podcast," the dancer spoke about returning to the dating scene.

Holker explained that she has had to "learn to love [herself]" and understand if it was possible to fall in love again.  She even pondered if loving "someone else again while I still like someone and love someone else" was something she could pause. However, it wasn't so black-and-white.

"It's a very complex situation I found myself in," she told the host. "It took me a long time to accept all of those things and the complexities of everything. But at the end of the day, I love life. So would I shy away from it?"

Holker continued, "I still find that the world is such a beautiful place, and there's so much to be experienced. So, to what kind of capacity? What that looks like? I don’t know. But I'm definitely not shying away from it. It’s just, life to me is life, and I just think it’s here to be experienced. Life and love is just something that I’ve always believed in."