By Mark Gray
7:00pm PDT, Aug 30, 2023
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It's one of the most bizarre stories of the year. Josh Seiter, who appeared on "The Bachelorette" in 2015, is alive, he announced on Aug. 29 — one day after his Instagram account shared a very detailed post announcing that he'd passed away a day earlier.
The reality TV star, who's been open about his battles with depression and anxiety, claimed someone hacked his Instagram account and shared the post as part of a "cruel joke."
Click through to read all about this puzzling story…
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If you or someone you know is considering suicide or in crisis, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 for support.
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On Tuesday, Aug. 29, Josh Seiter said in an Instagram video that he's "alive and well."
"My account was hacked. For the last 24 hours, I've been trying desperately to get into it. Somebody was playing a cruel joke and mocking my mental illness and the struggles I've gone through with depression and suicide attempts, and I'm sorry for all the pain they caused when they made that post. I just got back into my account," he said.
"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," he continued.
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If you or someone you know is considering suicide or in crisis, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 for support.
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Amid speculation that Josh Seiter staged an elaborate death hoax, he told Entertainment Weekly via email, "As a mental health advocate, issues of suicide are very sensitive for me. To suggest that I would orchestrate a death post around that issue is sickening. I have dedicated the last 8 years of my life blogging and raising awareness about mental health, and I will continue to do so. Regardless of what my detractors have to say."
He added that the "ridiculous accusations" are "made up" by people with "nothing better to do with their time."
If you or someone you know is considering suicide or in crisis, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 for support.
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On Monday, Aug. 28, Josh Seiter's Instagram account shared a statement announcing his death that appeared as though it had been written by his family.
"It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share the tragic news of Joshua's unexpected passing," the since-deleted 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."
"Although our heartache at Joshua's passing pains us beyond measure, we find comfort knowing that he is finally at peace. We hope and pray that his spirit can continue to live on in the pictures and words on this page, which we will leave up for the time being," the statement continued.
It concluded with a plea for people struggling with their mental health to call a suicide prevention hotline, implying that Josh had taken his own life.
MORE: Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more celebrity & entertainment photo galleries and content
If you or someone you know is considering suicide or in crisis, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 for support.
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Josh Seiter's final Instagram post preceding the "death hoax" addressed his mental health struggles: "Surviving depression and anxiety one day at a time with a smile," he captioned a photo of himself on Aug. 24.
He previously wrote of himself on social media, "I'm Josh Seiter, and I'm a suicide attempt survivor. I battle OCD, Bipolar Depression, and GAD, but I refuse to give up. What did you survive?"
If you or someone you know is considering suicide or in crisis, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 for support.
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Josh Seiter found fame during his brief stint on Kaitlyn Bristowe's season of "The Bachelorette." Fans remember him for ripping off his shirt upon meeting the star of season 11, which aired in 2015. He was eliminated during the first week of the competition.
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The story obviously shook up Josh Seiter's "The Bachelorette" co-stars. Shawn Booth — who ended up winning their season when he captured Kaitlyn Bristowe's heart (they split in 2018) — was in the middle of an interview with "Extra" when Josh revealed that he was "alive and well."
"That's great news, obviously. … Wow, that's insane, that's absolutely crazy," Shawn said. "That's wild. … I mean, people are sick too. … It's a relief for everybody."
Shawn, who admitted he hasn't spoken to Josh since that first night on "The Bachelorette," has often been a champion for mental health awareness. "I don't know what you can do to prevent hackers, but I feel like there's gotta be a quicker solution from these social media accounts where you can let them know something's going on and then they can immediately fix the situation," he said.
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Monica Beverly Hillz, who briefly dated Josh Seiter years ago, also weighed in on the hoax. The reality star, who's best known for work on "RuPaul's Drag Race," posted the following on Instagram, "Everyone deserves grace, but unfortunately I can't help but think that he was able to pull this stunt as a cisgender white man — acting like he was dead — when so many of my sisters and trans women of color have been brutally murdered this year and the same love and support isn't show to them." Monica later told Entertainment Weekly, "I'm happy he's alive, I'm happy he's here, but this is so infuriating to me."
