In 2023, Seiter claimed to be bisexual during Pride Month, later claiming an announced engagement to “David” ended. Seiter’s sibling disputed these claims about being pan/bi.
In 2023, Seiter claimed to be “currently the most followed suicide prevention specialist on Instagram.”
In 2023, Seiter reportedly claimed to have a “son” who doesn’t exist.
In 2023, Seiter claimed to be starting a porn career, but has not performed with any other performers.
In 2023, Seiter denied being in a relationship with transgender Drag Race star Monica Beverly Hillz, who provided extensive evidence.
In 2023, Seiter posted a death hoax, later claiming to have been hacked.
In 2024, Seiter unconvincingly claimed to be transgender for months, later claiming it was a “social experiment.”
Seiter was assisted in the transgender hoax through coverage by several anti-trans outlets.
Independently verifiable facts
Joshua Andrew Seiter was born on August 18, 1987 to Karen Frankel Seiter (born 1953) and Henry John Seiter, Jr. (1954–2021). Seiter has two siblings, Israel (born 1981) and Stephen (born 1984).
Seiter earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2009.
Seiter worked as a stripper starting in 2012, later joining Dreamboys Chicago, a male stripper revue.
Seiter earned a law degree in 2013. In 2015, Staci Zaretsky reported, “We did some digging and found out that Seiter is a 2013 graduate of the IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. We also looked him up on the Illinois ARDC site, and discovered that he’s not licensed as a lawyer.”
Seiter was a contestant on the E! reality show Escape Club in 2014 and on The Bachelorette in 2015.
In 2019 Seiter self-published a memoir titled Ball Drop under the pen name “Colin Tanner.” One Amazon reviewer wrote: “To label this as a memoir is flat out embarrassing. Instead of writing a crappy book, the author should have seeked out counseling. Not only for his insecurities but his uncertainty on his sexuality, which is mainly what the entire book is about. Waste of money, waste of time.”
On May 22, 2020, Seiter was arrested in Chenoa, Illinois for aggravated speeding in a construction zone. Seiter was going at least 35 miles an hour above the posted speed limit.
Unverified claims
Seiter has claimed to be a lifelong crossdresser who reportedly started wearing parent Karen’s dresses and jewelry at age seven when both parents were out of the house.
Seiter claims to have grown up homeschooled in a conservative Christian household in Urbana, Illinois. Seiter claimed of the experience, “Homeschooling stunts your ability to socialize, empathize and sympathize.” Seiter has identified as Jewish as an adult.
Seiter claimed, “I had attempted suicide when I was a teenager. I put a rope in our garage, and I stuck my head through it. I was going to do it, but I didn’t do it.”
Seiter claimed, “I always knew as an early teen I was different sexually,” adding “I suffer with depression, GAD [generalized anxiety disorder], and OCD [obsessive-compulsive disorder].”
Seiter claimed, “So when I was about fifteen, I think just the isolation of being homeschooled, growing up in a strict religious family, it all kind of manifested and I have a lot of anxiety and depression, and I started seeing a counselor for that.”
Seiter claimed to have joined Carroll Fire Protection District as a firefighter from June 2007 to September 2008.
Seiter claimed that “when I was in college, I just underwent kind of like a dramatic experience where I ended up getting hospitalized and you know, kind of committed for a while.”
Seiter claimed to have undergone electroshock therapy at age 21.
Seiter claimed to have never taken the bar exam after law school: “I had plans to take the Bar exam, but then dancing took off so much and it became so lucrative, that I decided to stick with entertainment. I put the Bar exam on hold. Obviously, if I ever decide to give up the entertainment industry, I would like to pursue the Bar exam.”
Seiter claimed to make over $2,000 a night as a Cowboys 4 Angels escort.
In 2015 Seiter claimed to be affiliated with Las Vegas-based Men of the Strip, later adding, “I was hoping to be a member of Men of the Strip, but it never materialized. However, we did go on a Midwest tour.”
Seiter claimed to be developing a docu-series with MTV, chronicling the stripper revue Dreamboys Chicago with Dino Vulpitta.
The Bachelorette
In 2015, Seiter was a contestant on season 11 of The Bachelorette. After being eliminated on the second episode, Seiter claimed that contestants are coached and that producers “forced” Seiter to strip for bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe. Seiter claimed that producers pick who gets sent home every week: “Kaitlyn may collaborate with them, but they make the final decision.”
Seiter claimed a scheduled 2016 Windy City Live appearance got cancelled after ABC contacted the show and Seiter’s manager to say the appearance would breach the Bachelorette contract.
Sexuality claims
Seiter claims to have been romantically linked to a number of reality show contestants, apparently feeding stories to bottom-of-the-barrel “celebrity” gossip outlets. Many have described Seiter as a “clout chaser.”
In 2020, Seiter claimed to have proposed to Yolanda Leak from 90 Day Fiancé
In 2021, Seiter was linked to Lizzie Kommes from Love After Lockup
In 2022, Seiter claimed to be in an online relationship with Cássia Tavares from 90 Day Fiancé
In 2022, Seiter claimed to be interested in dating Christine Brown from Sister Wives
In 2023, Seiter was linked to Sadie Glorietta Besos Clark from Love After Lockup
In 2023, Seiter reportedly wanted to date Amy Slaton from 1000-lb Sisters. Slaton responded, “Stop being a weird stalker. You are a clout chaser.”
In 2023, Seiter was linked to Rosemarie Vega from 90 Day Fiancé
In 2023, Seiter was linked to Yve Arellano from 90 Day Fiancé
In 2023, Seiter was reportedly contacted by Natalie Mordovtseva from 90 Day Fiancé, who asked about being cast on The Bachelorette
In 2023, Seiter claimed to be in an open relationship with “Jennifer”
In 2023, Seiter was linked to Karine Staehle Martins from 90 Day Fiancé
In 2023, Seiter claimed to have not been romantically involved with transgender Drag Race contestant Monica Beverly Hillz, who confirmed they were in a relationship.
In 2024, Seiter claimed to be engaged to a woman for a few days in November before deleting the post.
2023 alleged engagement to “David”
In May 2023, Seiter claimed to be in “a romantic relationship I’ve developed with a close male friend.” Seiter claimed to have been dating an exotic dancer named David off and on since November 2022:
“I don’t like labels and I don’t like being put into tiny boxes or categories. I would say I identify as Pansexual. I love everybody equally regardless of gender. And I can exclusively reveal to Tv Shows Ace that I am seeing a guy now and things are going really well. I’ve had a lot of disastrous relationships with women lately and I am excited to finally be in a healthy relationship.”
Seiter claimed that David proposed marriage on June 11, 2023 at the home of Seiter’s parents:
“It’s not a typical love story. I quit dancing in 2017, so I took a four-year hiatus. Then shortly after Covid restrictions went away in 2021, I joined America’s Loverboys for a couple of big shows a year they wanted me to headline. But that was about the end of it. Then last year, I started dancing more with them. That’s how I met David. He’s also a dancer with them, he’s their in-house cowboy. We met through work, through dancing and spending a lot of time together on the road. It’s kind of like law school and bootcamp in a really weird way, in that dancing is so unique, and so many people can’t empathize what what dancers deal with, or kind of that lifestyle. Because of that, the people you’re in it with become very, very close to you, and you form these bonds that I think are atypical of most bonds you would form on the outside world. That was definitely responsible for all of us within the group becoming closer, because we’re on the road together, we’re touring together, we’re dancing together, living together. That’s how I met him.”
In June 2023 Seiter claimed to be planning for an adult film career. Seiter claimed, “I am open to shooting with anybody. Gender identity and sexual orientation does not matter to me. My mindset is nothing is off the table. I want to shoot with everyone.”
Seiter’s sibling disputed these claims in July 2023, saying Seiter has been with someone named Jennifer since 2019:
“He is not bisexual in the least and is 100% straight. In fact, he has a long-term girlfriend,” the social media influencer’s sibling tells In Touch of Josh, who announced his split from his partner Davidlast month. “She lives in Chicago with him and she comes to all of our family gatherings. He last showed up with her just a few weeks ago at the same time he and David were supposedly engaged.”
Josh Seiter refuted the sibling’s comments, claiming to be “75% straight and 25% other”:
“I have only been with her since May of 2021 and it was an open relationship,… A lot of what is being alleged is in fact true. Some is not. I cannot elaborate further at this time.”
2023 relationship with Monica Beverly Hillz
Anti-trans sexologist John Money described how deeply conflicted and closeted people like J. Edgar Hoover and Roy Cohn behaved:
The absolute antithesis of homophobia and homophilia in this malignant form of bisexuality takes its toll in self-sabotage and the sabotage of others. Self-sabotage is an ever-present threat that materializes if there is a leakage of information from those in one antithetical world to those in the other. […]
The sabotage of others is carried out professionally by some individuals with the syndrome of malignant bisexualism. Their internal homophobic war against their own homosexuality becomes externalized into a war against homosexuality in others. The malignant bisexual becomes a secret agent, living in his own private and secret homosexual world, while spying on its inhabitants, entrapping them, assaulting and killing them, or, with less overt violence, preaching against them, legislating against them, or judicially depriving them of the right to exist.
In August 2023, Seiter began dating trans Drag Race star Monica Beverly Hillz. On August 22, 2003, Seiter sent Hillz this breakup message:
“Hey hun, I’m sorry, but I’m not good. My grandpa passed away this morning in his sleep. Heading to the airport now, my life is in shambles, and I can’t give you the time and dedication you deserve. Let’s remain friends. Thank you for being amazing.”
Seiter has since denied they were in a relationship.
2023 death hoax
A week after the breakup with Monica Beverly Hillz, on August 28, 2023, Seiter posted a hoax eulogy to Instagram:
It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share 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. 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. For anybody who is experiencing a mental health crisis and needs help, the 988 SMS Lifeline provides 24/7 free and confidential support for people in distress, as well as prevention and crisis resources.
Monica Beverly Hillz was one of many who speculated that Seiter posted the hoax. After briefly claiming the account had been hacked, Seiter claimed to be checking into a mental health facility:
“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 a handle on my mental health. I am losing my phone in the next hour.”
“I was the one who was behind my own death statement. Last year was one of the most agonizing times of my existence. I couldn’t handle the pressures of life, including the passing of the one man I was closest to, my father. I was ready to bring it all to an end, and was fully prepared to do so, with the tool I had chosen nearby. I wrote my own eulogy because I did not want to put that added pressure onto my mother, given what she was about to endure. I posted the eulogy with the full intention of no longer being here… it was my suicide note. Thankfully, fate had other plans that day. I want to apologize now for the hurt and confusion I caused when I was broken and at my lowest. For everyone’s sake, including my own, I’m thankful I am still here.”
OnlyFans
Seiter started an OnlyFans in 2018. In 2023 Seiter claimed:
“I also do have an OnlyFans that I started in 2018 that, for some reason I don’t know why, is successful and I’ve done very well at that. So that helps pay the bills, but it’s not fulfilling. It doesn’t give me a sense of purpose. So my mental health work is kind of what grounds me and is what I find a sense of meaning and purpose in my day-to-day life.”
Conservative journalist Sarah Fields reviewed Seiter’s troubling OnlyFans:
“Yesterday, I took one for the team and subscribed to Josh Seiter’s Only Fans account. I had never done this before, and I don’t plan on ever doing it again unless it’s to investigate for another article. I scrolled through every post. And after taking an evening to get rid of the nausea I have felt from it all, this is what I discovered.
[…] Just a few moments of scrolling started to show a journey of someone who is absolutely not OK.
[…] 2021 and on, Seiter’s OF becomes much more disturbing. Photos show that he gained a large amount of weight. And in his videos, he can be seen pushing his stomach out in an unnatural way, almost appearing pregnant. He rubs and slaps his belly, and in some videos can be seen digging deep into his belly button with his fingers while clearly being turned on by his own actions.
[…] Josh Seiter is a mentally unwell man who simply loves the attention. He is not a “troll king”. This was not a plan to “expose the ridiculousness of the trans agenda”. It’s his own clown show. And many fell for it.”
🚨The Truth about Josh Seiter and his Grift🚨
*TW – Detailed Description of Seiter’s OF account*
Seiter, the man who has pretended to be trans for the last 5 months, came forward yesterday on the “Prime Time with Alex Stein” show and admitted that the whole thing was an act.… pic.twitter.com/5RUCekOAFl
Seiter has claimed to be a crossdresser since childhood.
Seiter has sold Warrior silkies and Josh Seiter Thigh Huggers, a clothing brand that sells “ranger panties, silkies, yum yums, and short shorts.” Seiter said that the floral panties were “designed for all genders, with a guarantee to make your pop.”
In 2023, Seiter attempted to generate headlines by claiming connections to convicted murderer Gypsy-Rose Blanchard-Anderson, star of Lifetime’s Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up. In response, Blanchard’s husband Ryan Scott Anderson alluded to Seiter’s rumored crossdressing in a message to Seiter: “What kind of bullshit are you spewing you worthless panty wearing douchebag.”
“Things that should be taken seriously, like climate change, mental health, trans rights, LGBTQ rights, they’re not taken seriously by a large part of the population, and so they mock it and they make fun of it because they don’t understand it.
On May 20, 2024, Seiter announced a gender transition:
Dear Warriors,
I have struggled with my gender identity – & resulting feelings of guilt and shame – for as long as I can remember. I spent the last three decades taking great pains to keep this side of me private. I felt I had no choice, given my upbringing in a strictly religious, conservative family. As I have gotten older, I have tried my hardest to project the expected image of a strong, masculine son and brother. However, I no longer want to hide who I am, and I no longer want to deal with the mental turmoil that comes with suppressing such an important part of me. So, I ask for your thoughts and prayers – and patience – as I transition. I know it will take time for everyone, including myself, to adjust. I simply ask that you accept me now, just as you did before. I love you all. – J.
Seiter received hundreds of supportive replies to the post.
Although Seiter claimed to have started using hormones, it was clear very quickly that Seiter was engaging in a hoax as rage bait and clout chasing. Seiter began peddling the story to anti-trans media figures for use in their their own outrage bait.
In September 2024, Alex Stein confirmed to anti-trans activist Rita Panahi that Seiter was perpetrating a hoax for attention:
[Stein]: Josh is playing a character. But Josh is doing a very good job in my opinion showing how absurd it is that people can identify as a girl for five minutes and start to use the women’s restroom. So you know, I like what Josh is doing, trying to expose that a lot of these trans people that are just trying to play a caricature.
[Panahi]: You are sure it’s not real?
[Stein]: Yes, I am 100%– yes, I know this. I know Josh is just yanking our chain as they say here in America. It is totally an act. Josh is not an idiot when it comes to going viral, and Josh is getting a lot of attention. And that viral fame can be addicting, which is why I think that why Josh has doubled down and is continuing to play this character.
As the attention started to wane, Seiter began appearing in blackface and claiming a transracial identity.
Seiter’s conservative supporters
For the next five months, Seiter’s trolling was covered by many anti-trans activists as well as some conservative trans people who saw through the hoax:
On October 15, 2024, Seiter returned to BlazeTV to claim to Alex Stein that the transition was a hoax, saying, “For the last five months I’ve been conducting a social experiment online to expose how gullible and how delusional the left is.”
When asked about all the clout chasing allegations, Seiter said:
“If people think I’m a clout chaser or did this for ulterior motives, I would say, Why don’t you question the men going into women’s bathrooms? Why don’t you question the men getting transferred to women’s prisons and committing violent rapes and impregnating women prisoners under the guise of being trans women? Why don’t you question those people, because we are dealing with palpable real harm there?”
Responses and analysis
can't believe he exposed the left for being kind and non-judgemental. what will he take from us next? https://t.co/6N0wxzZbCj
Ari Drennan commented: “can’t believe he exposed the left for being kind and non-judgemental. what will he take from us next?”
he pretended to be trans online for six months and liberals left kind comments and conservatives left cruel comments. groundbreaking thanks josh https://t.co/j5xD62Aggk
mattxiv commented: “he pretended to be trans online for six months and liberals left kind comments and conservatives left cruel comments. groundbreaking thanks josh”
Video essayist Kat Blaque summarized the prevailing view in the trans community that Seiter is a trans-attracted crossdresser:
When I look at Josh Seiter, when I look at his outfits, when I look at the way he put himself together, even the thoughtfulness about his shoulder line and stuff like that, it’s giving crossdresser.
[…] It may shock you initially that somebody who previously dated a transgender woman would do a hoax like this, where he essentially invalidated her gender.
[…] It is unfortunately incredibly common for men who are attracted to transgender women to hate transgender women. And the reason I bring up him most likely being a cross-dresser is because in my experience with a lot of cross-dressers who pursue me, they they have this tendency to compare themselves to the transgender women that they are pursuing.
[…] Sometimes hypermasculine men who are very interested in maintaining and curating an image of masculinity really get off in a very sexual way on the idea of them being crossdressed and the idea of them being feminine. I don’t wanna say anything negative about crossdressers. Not all crossdressers feel this way, but for a lot of crossdressers the process of wearing women’s clothing is degrading.
[…] For a lot of these men, femininity is inherently degrading. And as I talk about in my previous video, a lot of these more conservative men who fetishize transgender women, they really get off on this idea of a transgender women’s femininity being something that is presented and curated for their pleasure. And that’s just an extension of their misogyny in general.
[…] Crossdressers, because they tend to have these very black-and-white views of gender, he probably does crossdress but still feels like he’s a man. And because he gets turned on by it, he assumes that this is the way all transgender women must feel.
[…] Oftentimes when I rejected men who are crossdressers, we have this argument where “I’m not really a woman. I’m just wearing clothes. I’m just putting on make up. I’m just doing this performance. It’s not real. It’s not valid.” But at their core, these are men who are conflicted. These are men who are very much struggling with their identity as men. And in truth, the reason why they end up turning their ire towards transgender women specifically is frankly because in their mind, a transgender woman is the very embodiment of what degradation would look like if it was on them.
And so for a lot of these men, what they want more than anything is to feel powerful and feel like they are not in the position of a transgender woman. But they will frequently conflate trans women’s experiences with their experiences.
When I look at people like Josh Seiter, I can tell that they rely desperately on these structures of heterosexism and heteronormativity and cisnormativity in order to feel better about themselves. To me, when I watch some of his videos, it’s very obvious to me that Josh Seiter is someone living in some degree of self-denial. And because he’s living in self-denial, he has to look at people like myself who have very publicly, very comfortably lived in a happy way within their bodies and say, “No, no, no, there’s something wrong with you,” because that just makes him feel just a little bit better about himself.
Ermac, Raffy (August 28, 2023). Bachelorette star Josh Seiter dead at 36.Out https://www.out.com/celebs/josh-seiter-dead [later revised with headline UPDATE: Bachelorette Star Josh Seiter Not Dead, Says Instagram Account Was Hacked]
City of Chenoa (May 27, 2020). Police Department Weekly Arrests Report. https://www.facebook.com/chenoail/posts/police-department-weekly-arrests-report/1562025027301918/
Pomarico, Nicole (May 18, 2015). This ‘Bach’ Contestant Is Actually A Male Stripper.Bustle https://www.bustle.com/articles/83996-bachelorette-contestant-josh-is-a-stripper-he-might-have-the-most-shocking-past-of-anyone
Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti (August 31, 2023). A Conversation with Josh Seiter.The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast https://omny.fm/shows/the-ben-and-ashley-i-almost-famous-podcast/a-conversation-with-josh-seiter
