Josh Seiter death hoax: Bachelorette star’s ex-girlfriend and RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Monica Beverly Hillz led tributes following false claim he had passed away age 36
RuPaul’s Drag Race star Monica Beverly Hillz led tributes to The Bachelorette star Josh Seiter after a false statement from his social media account claimed he had died at the age of 36 in a cruel death trap.
“It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share the tragic news of Joshua’s unexpected passing,” read the statement, which has now been proven false.
The message read: “It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share the tragic news of Joshua’s unexpected passing.
“As anyone who knew him can attest, Joshua was an incredibly bright light in an increasingly dark world.”
Monica responded on Instagram saying, “RIP My honey,” with a heartbroken, crying, and dove emoji below a gallery of adorable photos of the former couple.
Death hoax: RuPaul’s Drag Race star Monica Beverly Hillz led tributes to The Bachelorette star Josh Seiter after a false statement from his social media account claimed he had died at the age of 36 in a brutal death hoax
Hoax: “It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share the tragic news of Joshua’s unexpected passing,” read the statement, now proven false
Speechless: The drag queen was heartbroken by the news and said she had no words in response
The drag queen posted the same caption to her story, before later adding, “I’m devastated and trying to find the words to say but I don’t have any!!!”
She wasn’t the only reality star to pray for Seiter: 90 Day Fiance star Karine Staehle also posted a heartfelt message on Instagram.
Staehle said, “My condolences to Josh’s family, I still can’t believe it.”
In a subsequent video, she told her followers, “I still can’t believe what happened to Josh, I’m so sad. But I hope he rests in peace and is with God now.”
George Massey – host of the 90 Day Fiance podcast – wrote: ‘Not my brother! Please let this be fake! You can’t be gone, brother. Please.’
Massey later added that ‘this hits me harder than anyone would realize. I’m numb. This really hurts. The pain runs deep.’
Seiter was featured on ABC’s Bachelorette series in 2015, with Kaitlyn Bristowe as the lead character and Josh eliminated in the show’s first week.
He revealed on Instagram on Tuesday that the message was a hacker hoax.
On his page featuring a video, the star said, “Hey guys as you can see I’m alive and well, my account was hacked, I’ve been desperately trying to get into it for the past 24 hours.
“Someone made a cruel joke and made fun of my mental illness and the struggles I’ve been through with depression and suicide attempts. I’m sorry for all the pain they caused when they posted that message.
“I just got back into my account, I will do everything I can to find out who is behind this together with my team. I apologize again for the confusion and will keep you updated as more facts come in.”
Fans of the former media personality also expressed their grief on social media.
One tweeted, “I am so pained to hear of the death of Josh Seiter, a model and actor best known for his role on ABC’s The Bachelorette.
“Josh had been public about his struggles coming out as bi, his internal conflicts over his adult acting/content pursuits, and his mental health.”
Shock: Seiter has revealed he is ‘alive and well’ – a day after a statement announcing his death was posted to his Instagram
Hard to bear: 90 Day Fiance’s Karine Staehle also expressed her devastation, adding: ‘I hope he’s with God now’
Shocking: Josh’s friend and host of the 90 Day Fiance podcast, George Massey, said he was ‘numb’ by the news
Pained: Fans of the reality star also took to social media to share how sad they felt at the news, with many focusing on his mental health struggle that he spoke so openly about online