CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses Suicide.
The family and friends of former The Bachelorette US contestant Josh Seiter received an outpouring of love and condolences when a statement was posted to his Instagram on Monday announcing his tragic passing. The media reported on the sad news until Tuesday when Seiter seemingly deleted the death announcement and posted a video in which he appeared, claiming that his social media was hacked and his death had been a cruel hoax.
“Hey, guys. As you can see, I am alive and well. My account was hacked,” he said in the video.
“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.”
He went on to apologise to his audience for the pain and confusion caused by the hoax.
“I just got back into my account. I am going to do all I can with my team to try to identify who was behind this but again, I apologise for the confusion. And I will update you guys as more facts come in,” he concluded, thanking his followers.
The original post, which is now deleted, contained a paragraph that claimed to be written on behalf of Seiter’s family.
“It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share the tragic news of Joshua’s unexpected passing,” it began.
The message referenced mental health services, causing people to assume that Seiter had taken his life following his struggle with mental health which he had documented publicly on his social media.
Strangely enough, it’s the second time this bizarre scenario has occurred this month.
On August 10, a post was uploaded to 16-year-old rapper Lil Tay‘s IG claiming that she, and her brother Jason, had passed away. However the very next day it was revealed that this too was a hoax and her social media accounts had been hacked.
In a statement to TMZ, Lil Tay confirmed that she was very much alive.
“I want to make it clear that my brother and I are safe and alive, but I’m completely heartbroken, and struggling to even find the right words to say,” she said.
Although many people had questions about the situation, the hacking of her account was later confirmed by Meta.
I think I speak for all of us when I say what the fuck is going on?
If you need mental health support, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or chat online.
Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
