The Bachelorette’s Josh Seiter has revealed he is ‘alive and well’ – a day after a statement announcing his death was posted to his Instagram.
Taking to his page with a video on Tuesday, the star, 36, said: ‘Hey guys, as you can see, I am alive and well, my account was hacked, for the last 24 hours I have been trying desperately to get into it.
‘Somebody was playing a cruel joke, mocking my mental illness and the struggles I’ve gone through with depression and suicide attempts, I’m sorry for all the pain they caused when they made that post.
‘I just got back into my account, I’m going to do all I can with my team to try to identify who is behind this. I apologize again for the confusion and I will update you guys when more facts come in.’
The false statement was posted on Seiter’s Instagram on Monday and claimed to be from his family – it read: ‘It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share the tragic news of Joshua’s unexpected passing. As all who knew him can attest, Joshua was an incredibly bright light in an increasingly dim world.’
It added that ‘his fearless voice and indomitable spirit helped thousands of people in their darkest moments feel just a little less alone.
In 2015, Seiter was on the ABC series with Kaitlyn Bristowe as the main character, however she was fired during the first episode.
On August 14, 1987, Seiter was born in Chicago, Illinois.
He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor’s degree before attending Chicago-Kent College of Law to acquire his law degree.
Seiter had been open with his 456K Instagram followers about dealing with mental health concerns.
His final post on Thursday read, “Surviving depression and anxiety one day at a time with a smile.”
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In a July 2021 post he had pinned at the top of his page, Seiter wrote, ‘I’m Josh Seiter, and I’m a suicide attempt survivor. I battle OCD, Bipolar Depression, and GAD (generalized anxiety disorder), but I refuse to give up. What did you survive?’
Seiter was introspective in a July 22 post on the social media site in which he said that he’d battled ‘feelings of worthlessness on a daily basis,’ going into detail about the issues that troubled him.
‘Some of my biggest insecurities revolve around gaining the approval of others,’ he said. ‘You see, at heart I am a people pleaser. I am constantly trying to win the approval of others.’
He speculated about the root causes of why he felt the way he did, referencing his upbringing and homeschooling, noting he ‘didn’t have many friends’ growing up.
He said: ‘The “Why?” doesn’t matter so much as the “How?” How are we going to stop conditioning our self-worth on the acceptance of others?’
‘The answer to that question only came after I was open and honest with the world about my mental health struggles. It does get better.’
Two days earlier, Seiter had penned a kind and uplifting message to people struggling with their mental health.
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‘I want to tell anyone out there struggling right now that I’m proud of you. I’m proud of you for putting on your socks,’ he wrote. ‘I’m proud of you for tying your shoes. I’m proud of you for getting out of the house when it feels like an insurmountable task in a Sisyphean struggle that has no end.
‘I want you to know it does get better. I know because I’ve been there. I want you to know that you matter. Your life matters.’
The Lil Tay link
After a post on her official verified Instagram account claimed that both she and her brother Jason Tian had ‘unexpectedly’ passed away, influencer and rapper Lil Tay has stated that she is still alive.
The controversial online celebrity, 14, has now stepped out to refute rumours that she and her sibling had passed away, saying that her Instagram account was “hacked” when she first gained notoriety at the age of nine after appearing in a string of offensive rap-style videos.
Influencer and rapper Lil Tay revealed earlier this month that she is still alive following a post on her official verified Instagram account that claimed both she and her brother Jason Tian had ‘unexpectedly’ passed away.
