The Bachelorette star and mental health advocate Josh Seiter ‘wants to keep living’ after bizarre ‘death’ hoax

Following the weird ‘death’ statement hoax uploaded to his Instagram profile, Josh Seiter has stated that as a public advocate, he wants to ‘keep living’ and talk about mental health.

The 36-year-old Bachelorette star died ‘unexpectedly’ on Monday, according to a tragic message shared on social media.

In an unexpected turn of events, Josh posted a fresh video to his social media account less than 24 hours later, stating that his page had been “hacked” with a “cruel joke.”

‘As you can see, I am alive and well,’ he began. ‘My account was hacked, for the last 24 hours I have 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.

‘I’m sorry for all the pain they caused when they made that post.’

Now, in a new interview with People, the reality star has opened up about the hoax and his plans to keep having honest discussions about mental health.

‘If you’re not open and honest, it precludes a connection to other people that are going through something similar. I feel like silence is going to lead inevitably to more suffering and more pain,’ he told the publication.

Josh explained that, in his experience, ‘when you’re open about something, it opens up connections to other people who might be going through the same thing, and through those connections, I feel like you can find mores strength – it’s kind of like strength in numbers’.

He also called the honesty ‘cathartic’ for himself as ‘if I’m just dealing with obsessive compulsive thoughts and depression and anxiety in silence, it tends to build on itself’.

 

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Speaking about it, and with others, therefore ‘makes finding a solution a little bit easier’.

The star also acknowledged that he is aware of the stigma that is often attached to being frank about mental health and your conditions, admitting that it can be ‘embarrassing’ to say, “Oh I have bipolar, I struggle with OCD and suicide ideations” – but he’s comfortable that the ‘net benefit’ of doing so ‘outweighs’ any awkwardness.

Josh shared his mental health experience on social media in July, stating that he spent time in a psychiatric facility at the age of 21 and had electroshock therapy at the age of 23, and that he now utilises cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to manage his illnesses and anxieties.

Josh has launched a thriving OnlyFans page since appearing as a contestant on The Bachelorette during its 11th season in 2015 with Kaitlyn Bristowe, but the former law student and exotic dancer doesn’t view it as a job.

He explained: ‘I’ve done well at it, but my long-term goal is to really just to do something worthwhile. OnlyFans pays the bills, but it doesn’t give me a sense of fulfilment or sense of accomplishment, and I feel those things if I talk about mental health.’

He added that that ‘fills me with a sense of purpose and meaning’.

Looking to the future, Josh also affirmed that he wants ‘to keep working on myself’.

‘I want to keep living. I want to keep searching for peace and happiness. I don’t have any grand goals of conquering the world or anything, I just want to find meaning in life.’

The message announcing his ‘death’, thought to be from his loved ones, spoke of 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. 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 in knowing that he is finally at peace,’ it read.

Tributes then poured in online, with Drag Race stars Monica Beverly Hillz, Monique Heart, Brooke Lynn Hytes and Ongina among those offering their condolences.