‘Bachelorette’ contestant Josh Seiter ‘alive and well,’ claims hacker posted death announcement
Former “Bachelorette” contestant Josh Seiter is “alive and well” despite his social media accounts posting a death announcement Monday.
Seiter posted a video on Instagram Tuesday afternoon claiming that a hacker was “playing a cruel joke and mocking” his mental illness and previous suicide attempts and apologized for the “confusion” the fake statement caused.
“I’m sorry for all the pain they caused when they made that post. I just got back into my account,” he said in his video.
“I’m going to do all I can with my team to try and identify who is behind this, but again I apologize for the confusion and I will update you guys as more facts come in.”
Seiter, 36, also removed the statement from his grid, but didn’t explain why it took him a full day to address what took place.
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The statement, which was purportedly penned by his family, announced that former ABC dating show contestant had passed away after years of mental health issues.
“It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share the tragic news of Joshua’s unexpected passing,” the since-denounced statement read.
“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 so-called family noted that while their “heartache at Joshua’s passing pains [them] beyond measure,” they are able to “find comfort knowing that he is finally at peace.”
The death hoax came four days after Seiter posted a selfie of himself and wrote that he was “surviving depression and anxiety” with a “smile.”
Seiter announced in July 2021 that he had been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar depression and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
He served as a contestant on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season of “The Bachelorette” in 2015 but was eliminated after week one.
