The Bachelorette alum Josh Seiter is getting help following a controversial death hoax.
Seiter, 36, shared via Instagram on Monday, September 25 that he has checked into a mental health facility weeks after his social media accounts falsely claimed he had passed away.
“For the last month I’ve received hundreds of hateful messages and unending harassment related to my account being hacked,” he wrote. “I wish I was stronger but I can’t take any more and am logging off of social media for good and am checking myself into a wellness facility now to try to get some kind of handle on my mental health. I am losing my phone in the next hour. I love you all. To the people sending me death threats, you win.”
Seiter was a contestant on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season of The Bachelorette in 2015, but was eliminated after the first week.
The Bachelorette alum made headlines last month when a statement was posted to his account that falsely announced his death. The message has since been deleted.
“It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share the tragic news of Joshua’s unexpected passing,” the 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 message continued: “Although our heartache at Joshua’s passing pains up beyond measure, we find comfort in 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. While we do that, we would kindly ask for privacy as we grieve.”
Seiter shared a video the next day to say that he was alive — and claimed that his account was hacked.
“Hey guys as you can see, I am alive and well,” Seiter said. “My account was hacked for the last 24 hours. I had 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 am sorry for the pain they caused when they made that post.”
Following his statement, Seiter’s ex, Monica Beverly Hillz (real name Monica Dejesus-Anaya), alleged “there’s no way in hell” he was hacked in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. Hillz explained it took her “months” to get her account back after she was hacked herself.
“Finding out supposedly my ex died, he’s dead on a Monday and alive on a Tuesday, I don’t have the words. I’m baffled. I’m angry. I’m happy he’s alive, I’m happy he’s here, but this is so infuriating to me,” Hillz said. “Being involved and being a trans woman of color, speaking about certain situations, not letting men use us for our glamour and spotlight, and here’s this guy doing all of this stuff. It makes me look like I’m involved and that I’m crazy.”
Seiter clapped back at his ex’s accusations in his own statement to EW.
“Those are all ridiculous accusations made up by somebody with nothing better to do with their time,” he responded. “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.”
Seiter has been open about his struggles with mental health in the past.
“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?” he wrote in an Instagram post in July 2021.
