Bachelorette's Josh Seiter Explains Why He Waited 18 Hours to Tell Everyone He Was Alive After Alleged Death Hoax, Reiterates That He's a Victim

Josh Seiter is speaking out about what happened between Monday and Tuesday, when he was announced dead on his Instagram account. Eighteen hours later, on Tuesday, he posted a video clarifying he was not dead and claimed he was hacked.

At the time, the 36-year-old former Bachelorette contestant, who competed on Kaitlyn Bristowe‘s season, said that his account was hacked.

Many have questioned his story, including his ex, who believed he faked the whole thing.

Now, Josh is speaking out and explaining why he waited 18 hours to let everyone know he was alive, and what happened during that time.

Keep reading to find out more…

“I was locked out of my account for about 18 hours…as soon as I was, I was able to get in…take back control of the account,” Josh told TMZ during an interview.

TMZ then noted that it was surprising that no one bothered to clear anything up during that 18 hour window where everyone thought he was dead.

Josh responded with, “Yea, again, I just go back to my earlier point. I’m not a celebrity. I’m not famous. I don’t have a team that puts out statements. I was at home, I wasn’t able to get into my account. I was working desperately, and dealing with a thousand things. People messaging me, people calling me.”

TMZ says they called him and it went straight to voicemail. They said they left a message.

He was again pressed about why he didn’t try and explain to the public that he was not dead.

Josh shared, “Monday was a lot of long conversations with close family members. Talking to people who are friends…trying to get their expertise. As well as a family member who is kinda well versed in tech. My priority was getting back into my Instagram account. Working on that was my number 1 priority. Dealing with the stress of it all. It was just overwhelming. I don’t think anyone knows how they would have handled something like that until it happens to them.”

TMZ then said that they had even called some of his family members and were either told “no comment” or hung up on.

Josh explained, “My family’s fractured. We’re estranged. There’s a lot of family dynamics and balkanization going on within the nuclear and extended family in my house. Just because you guys called them, doesn’t mean that they were gonna answer.”

He ended with, “I’m sorry. I’m not perfect. I guess I could have done something besides getting on Instagram to prove that I was alive. I haven’t had experience with this. I did the best I could. I’m sorry to everyone that was hurt by this person. I’m a victim.”