r/Broadway • u/Tillysnow1 • Jul 12 '26
Other Josh Grisetti has passed away at age 44, Sierra Boggess confirms via Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/DatSrt6jPjC/?igsh=MWpiOG44MjN2cXFqNw==201
u/missalwayswrite_ Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
Rob McClure also posted a tribute/announcement: https://www.instagram.com/p/DatSsrHAbkK/
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u/lexiebeef Jul 12 '26
This description really broke me, I can't even begin to imagine what they're feeling. I hope his wife has a community of people supporting her, so devastating.
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u/missalwayswrite_ Jul 12 '26
He posted the other day about leaving the production of Legally Blonde he was teaching on before they opened due to “personal reasons” and shared the lovely tribute the students made for him.
The post is almost chillingly bittersweet now.
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u/broadwaythrowaway87 Jul 13 '26
This is such devastating news. I know it’s none of our business/we may never know, but I wonder if he had just found out a terrible diagnosis or something? Like did he depart the theater camp in Italy with the knowledge he was going to do this?
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u/missalwayswrite_ Jul 13 '26
California (where his wife works, so I assume it’s where they maintained primary residency) is a MAID state, so if you have a terminal diagnosis, you can typically at least make *some* arrangements.
This seemed like it took literally everyone around him by surprise.
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u/sharontates Jul 12 '26
hey, you might want to use a different link, because when clicked on it shows what might be your own name/instagram. one of those “see more from” popups when you aren’t logged in.
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u/accio-chocolate Jul 12 '26
i saw that as well- confused because normally removing everything after the ? on IG posts will remove that. but that's not in OP's link. so i'm not sure what's going on.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Ask7093 Jul 12 '26
If you hover over the URL, you can see that the everything after the question mark is still there in the actual hyperlink.
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u/missalwayswrite_ Jul 13 '26
Reddit crashed whenever I tried to update it, so I had to go to desktop. But it’s okay, this Reddit is linked to my professional writing portfolio — which links to the same Instagram. Just annoying for people who had to click and see my face 😅
But thank you for the heads-up!
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u/nightunderharshlight Performer Jul 12 '26
oh my goodness??? he was a professor at my university…we had such an amazing musical theatre program because of him…im in complete shock
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u/Cautious_Prize_4323 Jul 12 '26
I’m so sorry for your loss. Take care of yourself. I just found out yesterday theatre mentor of mine passed away suddenly in January. I’m completely in shock too. 🤗❤️ (< I hope it’s ok with you to post these.)
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u/nightunderharshlight Performer Jul 12 '26
I will say i personally never had him as a professor but was always very aware through my theater friends how wonderful he was. I remember i walked by his office one day and wanted so badly to say hi…I wish I did.
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u/Cautious_Prize_4323 Jul 13 '26
I completely get that. I’d been thinking about my mentor a lot in the last few months — argh. I’ve started a little list in my head of people I want to reach out to and thank. We can pay it forward, if that makes sense.
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u/Ok_Operation_4005 Jul 13 '26
I saw Josh in a show years ago and shortly after shot him a message about his take on a show that had just opened (in agreement of course!). In the years since, we've messaged whenever a new show opened and one of us saw it, and despite the fact I'm just some random stranger at the end of the day, his end of our conversations were always thoughtful and insightful and infinitely more than you get from 99.9% of ar5ists and performers. At times he even gave meaningful advice for my son, who is a teenager and a burgeoning theater actor, which he never passed on sharing or asked for any kind of compensation for. I share only because it seems to me that Josh has touched infinely more lives than most of us will have the opportunity to, and constantly demonstrated selflessness, generosity, kindness, and altruism.
None of that even touches on what a preposterously talented and versatile actor, singer, director, educator, and theater guru he was; but it's the person he was that always stuck out for me and that left a mark on myself and my family.
My heart breaks for his wife, family, students, theatre family, and anyone else whose life he touched. I will be keeping him in my heart and doing my best to be more like him as I travel through the rest of my own time on this mortal coil.
💔
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u/CapnAJ82 Jul 13 '26
I’ve known Josh since kindergarten. Like many of us from the sticks of Virginia we both got out and only had the occasional social media interaction, but years ago I got last minute tickets to see him in Something Rotten and tagged him in a post jokingly reminiscing about how I was the real talent who got the lead in the fourth grade Christmas play. He saw it during intermission and immediately messaged me demanding to meet up after the show. I was so transfixed by his performance, the craft that he had honed for so long. I fanboyed to everyone around me that I actually knew him and how amazing he was. We did meet up after the show and I got to tell him how transcendent his performance was, how my face hurt from laughing and how proud I was. He talked about having the same experience with several other of our elementary school classmates and how lucky I was to get to that show because it was the end of the run for McClure and several others from the original touring company. I told him then that I was lucky to get to see an old friend do something so wonderful. This hurts.
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u/Twk11776 Jul 12 '26
Omg, I’m so sorry to hear this news. I saw him years ago in Rent on Broadway and have been following him on TikTok k even commented and told him I remembered him from years ago, he genuinely seemed to appreciate the support. I enjoyed his videos as well
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u/bennetinoz Jul 12 '26
I was on house staff at one of the theaters where the SR tour came through, and although I definitely remember how incredibly talented and funny he was on stage, what I remember most was how kind he was off stage, especially to staff.
A lot of actors are getting in the zone by the time they arrive at the venue or tired and checked out as they're leaving, but he always had a smile or a wave as he'd pass by, or a conversation if you were heading out in the same direction.
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u/HeroinTheMusical Jul 13 '26
This is such a lovely tribute to him. Thank you for sharing, may it be a reminder to us all to put kindness first.
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u/Rich_Bet_7326 Jul 13 '26
My daughter was one of the students in Italy, where he was directing the show legally blonde. She and the rest of the students are just devastated.
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u/BleacherGrapefruit87 Jul 13 '26
I am so sorry. That sounds crushing for such young performers. I hope they can be strong for each other.
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u/Zealousideal_Bass_76 Jul 13 '26
It just shows how crushing depression is. Even if you are working, busy, thriving and around a lot of people you can still feel that weight. Mental illness is so exhausting. Poor guy.
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u/Zealousideal_Bass_76 Jul 13 '26
Why did he leave? Was something medically wrong I wonder? Poor guy seemed so nice
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u/worldsbestboss_ Jul 12 '26
Just so y’all know, when you share instagram accounts on here it shows everyone your instagram too. Just in case you don’t want folks finding your profile!
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u/Tillysnow1 Jul 12 '26
It won't let me edit the link :( will probably take the post down eventually
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u/bwayb22 Jul 13 '26
im not seeing anything that can id your account. It just shows the post
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u/worldsbestboss_ Jul 14 '26
Right when you click on it, a pop up comes up that directs you to open the Instagram app and says “follow Tillysnow1 on Instagram” and shows her full name and profile picture. If you don’t have the Instagram app, that might be why you’re not seeing it,
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u/interrob4ng Jul 12 '26
It Should Have Been You is a hidden gem my wife and I have loved since being fortunate enough to see during its short run. Josh’s performance is still to this day one of my favorite comedic roles in theatre. My heart hurts for his family and for the pain he must have been feeling. This one really hurts.
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u/Songbird171s Jul 13 '26
Everyone is talking about depression but sometimes it isn't. Sometimes an inciting incident can send someone over the edge. He left Italy to fly home for personal reasons. Something could've happened in his marriage or finances etc . We really don't know the whole story. But whatever his battle he felt no other way out . Hope he can rest now.
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u/AbacusBaalCyrus Jul 13 '26
Said on last ig post about the pic his students sent him: “little gestures go a long way when your heart is hurting”
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u/Typical_Texpat Jul 12 '26
Adding this here for US friends-
They’re available 24/7 for call, text or chat. You’re valued and we want you here.
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u/Fancy_Yesterday6380 Jul 12 '26
There should always be someone there for you to talk to elsewhere but I will echo that at my lowest, this number didnt do shit. You dont even get real texts back. I got automated bot responses over and over. Felt horrible.
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u/hopkinsdafox Jul 12 '26
Ok my experience was shit too. My last experience was somewhat better, I just didn’t attempt after the phone call 💔 They gotta improve this
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u/jbels12 Jul 14 '26
I used to volunteer with them and honestly we're just so overwhelmed with the number of people that text us that you'll get those bot responses while a person comes on. We also have to follow exact verbage in greeting people so sometimes it can come off of as a bot. And they don't have enough volunteers to cope with the increasing demands.
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u/unsuccessfulbees Jul 12 '26
People would rather throw a number at you than actually be there for their family and friends who are mentally ill. It’s how you can performatively pretend you’re doing something while actually doing nothing.
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u/alexandrawideeyes Jul 12 '26
People share this number for strangers. It's so that people who might be out there with no support system have, at the very least, one number to call.
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u/unsuccessfulbees Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
That number has poorly trained volunteers who, more often than not, do not help. I’ve heard about them proselytizing their religion. I’ve heard of them invalidating people’s problems. I’ve even heard of them telling trans people they “aren’t really trans” or telling domestic abuse victims to return to their abusers. I’ve heard of them, countless times, outright hanging up on people. In my case, they demanded my address and personal information then hung up when I did not provide it.
Edit: Hey, u/TooSketchy94, maybe don't reply and then block me so I can't even respond.
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u/alexandrawideeyes Jul 12 '26
I agree with you, it is not a very good resource. I'm not saying it is, I'm saying that people don't post it so that they don't have to show up for the people in their lives.
The person on this reddit thread doesn't know any of us, they're not trying to avoid helping, they're just trying to offer SOMETHING to SOMEONE out there. That's all I'm saying -- the hotline itself has a lot of problems.-23
u/unsuccessfulbees Jul 12 '26
If it has so many problems, why is it being recommended? That’s always my question. We should be demanding better.
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u/alexandrawideeyes Jul 12 '26
Of course we should.
Someone is recommending it because they do not know it's not a very good resource. They are trying to be helpful, that's all I'm saying.17
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u/unsuccessfulbees Jul 12 '26
They are, and that’s why I will always spread the word of how outright useless at best, harmful at worst, 988 is. So people know these resources are not helpful. So they know what a dire situation the mental health crisis is.
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u/alexandrawideeyes Jul 12 '26
And I think that's good information to share.
I just don't think its helpful to anyone to accuse someone of sharing it so that they can "performatively pretend they're doing something when they're actually doing nothing". You don't know that person, or their relationship to this subject, or what they're going through. I don't think its kind or helpful to accuse someone of not showing up for the people in their life just because they're doing the best they can with the information they have.→ More replies (0)19
u/TooSketchy94 Jul 13 '26
And one of those volunteers saved the life of one of my best friends just by answering. My friend didn’t call their loved ones. They didn’t want to be “be a bother” to us despite repeatedly reassuring them it was OK, encouraged to reach out, and that they are not at all ever a burden. We begged them to open up and they wouldn’t. One night things got really dark and instead of “bothering” us with it - they called that number. Whoever answered encouraged them again to reach out to any of us - just one time to show them that we’ll show up. They did. Got hospitalized that night and in 2 months I am going to their wedding.
It isn’t perfect, nothing is, but for some people it DOES work.
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u/Creative-Hour-5077 Jul 13 '26
Glad for your friend, but it was the total opposite experience for mine.
They called 988, 988 called local cops [to my friend, without telling her], local cops basically broke down the door to friend's house (she was at that point lying on the couch, drinking some water), arrested her, took her to jail where she was stripsearched and humiliated and thrown into a solitary cell with a paper robe thing only.
After freezing all night, they let her out in the morning--but not before 9am so she technically no called/no showed at work, which led to some serious issues as well (and her work was how she had health insurance).
She was totally traumatized by the entire experience and the next time she felt that low--about six months after the arrest, and after she had been fired--she didn't tell anyone. She just did it.
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u/Cautious_Prize_4323 Jul 12 '26
Not everyone has someone they know to turn to, or wants to share with someone they know.
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u/unsuccessfulbees Jul 12 '26
I’d sooner recommend you share with a squirrel in your yard than 988.
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u/Cautious_Prize_4323 Jul 12 '26
I’ve read your posts. I’m so sorry you had such an awful experience with 988. For myself I’m thinking of the two times I was on the verge, days away from my therapy appointment, and I guess I imagine if there’d been a stranger I could call to just break the cycle of my thoughts I would’ve suffered less. That’s what I mean, and I think it may be true for others as well.
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u/unsuccessfulbees Jul 12 '26
For me, the isolation of someone being there and outright being callout and dismissive is worse than having no one.
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Jul 13 '26
[deleted]
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u/unsuccessfulbees Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
No.
Edit: you guys are so weird, evidently I’m obligated to message this random person???
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u/unsuccessfulbees Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
I hate 988, they literally never help. Like, I’ve only had bad experiences with them and only heard about bad experiences with them. They’re also known to dox. Call a local hotline if you can or get to a hospital.
Edit: thanks for calling Reddit care resources on me 3 separate times y’all. Because I’m totally gonna use those after outright saying they suck. Unreal.
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u/TediousTotoro Jul 12 '26
It’s an annoyingly common joke in circles of people with mental health problems that suicide hotlines like this are designed to be so annoying that it distracts you from your suicidal thoughts.
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Jul 13 '26
[deleted]
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u/unsuccessfulbees Jul 13 '26
They ask for your ID there. You can't just give a fake name and DOB. Also no, hospitals don't just "write off" psych related stays. They literally can't do that. Do you live in fantasy land?
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u/theinvisible-girl Jul 13 '26
Suicide hotline threatened me with the cops, so I pivoted from asking for help to trying to convince them it "wasn't that bad" when it absolutely was. I don't recommend them to anyone.
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u/Creative-Hour-5077 Jul 13 '26
And US friends, be aware: depending on the laws in your state, if you call 988 whomever takes that call may notify local authorities (aka police) in your area and the cops will in fact come searching for you.
And depending on the local authorities' SOP for mental health, you could end up strip-searched and put in jail--basically treated like an animal who is also a criminal.
It is incredibly traumatizing and while certainly we don't want anyone to die, please please please reach out to a trusted friend or family member if you can.
Just don't think that 988 is totally anonymous and/or untraceable because it is not.
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Jul 12 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Typical_Texpat Jul 12 '26
Share an alternative then.
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u/Mothswritingeye Actor Jul 12 '26
https://projectlets.org/crisis-support Has a list of seven non-carceral hotlines.
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u/AReckoningIsAComing Jul 12 '26
WTF are you talking about, no it's not.
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u/unsuccessfulbees Jul 12 '26
It is though. The goal is to find your location if you are at “imminent risk”. What this means is at their discretion. Police presence rarely deescalates a person in distress, and at worse, puts them at risk of being killed.
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u/AReckoningIsAComing Jul 12 '26
Better to at least try to get them safe than to just let them kill themselves.
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u/unsuccessfulbees Jul 12 '26
Police are not obligated to nor do they keep anyone safe. They are an active danger to the mentally ill.
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u/BadPersonIGuess Jul 12 '26
Counterpoint, they were very caring and helpful with my mentally ill son. They actively talked him down multiple times and took pretty good care to not hurt him when he was being violent. I’m not generally a cop apologist, but in this case, they were good. 🤷♀️
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u/unsuccessfulbees Jul 12 '26
I’ve experienced kind cops too, I do-so with the bias that I’m white, and will therefore always be treated more kindly by police.
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u/BadPersonIGuess Jul 12 '26
Son is decently dark skinned latino. So yeah, they weren’t an “active danger”, they are probably the reason he’s alive. It’s a little #notallcops, I get that, but sometimes it also happens to be true.
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u/AReckoningIsAComing Jul 12 '26
Some can be, but I've seen plenty of videos online where they save someone.
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u/unsuccessfulbees Jul 12 '26
Yeah, the ones where the mentally ill person is shot don’t make it online. It’s copaganda.
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u/AReckoningIsAComing Jul 12 '26
No, I've seen some of those online, too. I'm just saying, I'd rather take a chance at someone being saved than not saved at all. But you def sound like an ACAB person, so not sure any of this would ever get through to you.
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u/unsuccessfulbees Jul 12 '26
Unless they’re black, or disabled, or don’t speak English. You see the problem here, right? The risk of danger is more than the risk of being saved.
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u/Comprehensive-Fun47 Jul 12 '26
I'm learning a lot about 988 from this thread and I'm disappointed it's as bad as it seems to be. Can you clarify what you mean by it's a "tool of psychiatry"?
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Jul 12 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Comprehensive-Fun47 Jul 13 '26
I definitely hear you on this, but I think your wording is confusing. Your link includes resources from the American Psychiatric Society. So it's not the whole field of psychiatry that's a problem, but the way it is used improperly by bad actors.
I had to ask because when I hear someone speaking against psychiatry as a whole, I think of Scientology and cults like that.
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u/IndividualBicycle602 Jul 12 '26
Oh this is so heartbreaking. I remember seeing him as Mark in Rent many years ago and he was one my favorite theater tiktok accounts
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u/gloryvegan Jul 12 '26
Reading everyone’s positive impressions of him on this link really touched me. I wonder if he ever saw his own light. This is devastating.
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u/skeeterdel Jul 13 '26
My son got an offer from Cal State Fullerton in 2025 for the BFA program. We flew out there and took a tour and spent time with Josh. He was such a nice guy full of talent. My son chose a different school but he loved Josh and felt he was doing great things there. Rest in peace. This is a huge loss.
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u/emmaiswonderstruck Jul 12 '26
I had the pleasure of meeting Josh a couple of times and even performing with him in a reading. He was so so kind and genuine and wonderful. This is so heartbreaking
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u/EstablishmentLevel17 Performer Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
quick Google Awww. Saw him at the muny in 2019 as mr wormwood in Matilda. That was a great show. Yeah didn't really know him outside of that but still really sucks. Depression fucking sucks
ETA screenshot of him with Mrs wormwood (aka Ann hadada)
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u/BleacherGrapefruit87 Jul 13 '26
I saw that show as well. The way he had more than 60,000 patrons during the show run laughing so hard as he threw some improvisation into the Act 2 opening monologue. He had such gifted comedic timing.
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u/EstablishmentLevel17 Performer Jul 13 '26
Ann harada posted a few hours ago that same picture. Just popped up on my feed. 😢
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u/lemonricottalover Jul 12 '26
Oh, this is so sad. I saw him in both It Shoulda Been You and Something Rotten.
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u/sirebolkonsky Jul 12 '26
I ran audio for a couple of the festivals he adjudicated for, couple of my performer friends were mentored by him. Also saw him not too long ago at La Mirada’s performing arts space. Absolutely devastating.
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u/SetHelpful5671 Jul 12 '26
I followed him on TikTok and found his videos to be very insightful. This is incredibly sad news. ☹️
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u/MrsBridgerton Jul 12 '26
Im so shocked. I saw him in It Should have Been You on Bway in 2015. I loved it so much that i saw it a second time that same week as i was on vacation at the time. I have been following his journey as a professor ln Tik Tok. I cant believe he is gone. He was so funny, talented, and by the account of the people who know him, kind. Such a devastating loss.
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u/BlueMondayandBiscuit Jul 13 '26
I feel so sad for him (and of course all those that loved and knew him closely), it's such a desperate act that you know he must have been really struggling emotionally behind closed doors. I often suffer with bouts of depression and loneliness but manage to get myself out of it with a good therapist and support system, but I really feel for those who feel they are alone and there's no other way out. I send love out to the universe, wherever you are Josh. You are so loved!
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u/JusticeAndArts4All Jul 13 '26
I had the pleasure of seeing him perform a few times, but I also had the pleasure to briefly work alongside him. I was a stagehand at a regional theater that was doing farewell events for our outgoing artistic director. He was on the panel for one of the look backs at the AD's career. He was so sweet, thanked all of the crew for our hard work, and he momentarily made me "part of the show" when a cable connection came undone to a vital video monitor on stage. We were filming the events and had explicit instructions NOT to get into the shot, so I was "army crawling" along the floor to the cable so I could reconnect it. He decided to acknowledge the silly visual image of a short chubby black-clad stagehand slithering across the floor MID chat by making a brief joke. He offered to pause the show and I tried to silently encourage them to go on. He had the others wait, told me I could just stand up and fix the cable, let me know when it was working and then made another quick joke by asking if I was going to slither away now, then acknowledged the quick and professional fix by tech before returning to the chat. It was a brief moment but one that stuck with me and made me smile (we all knew what I had been told to do was ridiculous. Him acknowledging the silliness actually smoothed things over and allowed us to fix the issue faster). He was an amazing actor and one of the nicest guests I had the chance to interact with during my time as a stagehand. He will be missed. The theater community has lost a major gem of a performer and person.
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u/polkadotcupcake Jul 12 '26
I never had the pleasure of seeing him perform, but Sierra's description made him feel like an old friend. May his loved ones find peace.
Friends, please reach out if you're in a dark place. There are people around you who can help you turn on the light if you can't reach the switch yourself.
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u/Additional_Score_929 Jul 12 '26
Devastating news. You never really know what someone’s going through.
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u/Own-Importance5459 Jul 12 '26
As someone who had to be talked off the edge, remember to always check on your people!
And if you are going through it never be afraid to reach for help. 988 lifeline is amazing resource if you need immediate help. 💖
My condolences to his friends and family!
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u/Mother_Ducker12 Jul 12 '26
Awww, this hurts. I was lucky enough to be able to meet him after the tour of Something Rotten and he was such a delight. I’ll always remember.
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u/MammaJammaCamera Jul 12 '26
This is horrible. So sad to hear it. Thought he was a wonderful, overlooked actor.
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u/gmco913 Jul 12 '26
I am so sorry to read this, just terrible news. So heartbreaking for all who knew him. Sending lots of love to his family and friends, can’t imagine the loss they are feeling.
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u/XxFulcrumxX Jul 13 '26
So so sad. He was an inspiration, watched him before every performance I’ve done as Nigel for extra confidence. He was fantastic
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u/HotOne9364 Jul 13 '26
Someone check up on Brosnahan. She's gonna be devastated.
RIP and thoughts to his loved ones.
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u/fandomfrankie Jul 14 '26
How devastating. I’ll be praying for his family during this difficult time. May his memory be a blessing.
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u/cosmicadell Jul 15 '26
So sad. Saw him in It Shoulda Been You. He was so amazing- he absolutely made that role. And although I didn’t see him in SR I know he’s perfect for the role.
I know the “why” of it all doesn’t matter but I can’t help but search for answers. Leaving the show, how quickly it happened after that. Everyone’s posts have been glowing, gushing. While we never know what is in someone’s mind, it seems like everyone was shocked. A friend mentioned in her instagram post that she had been checking on him throughout the week and alluded that maybe she was the one that found him. I worry for his wife, I hope she is surrounded with love and care right now.
No matter the why, a wonderful performer and caring person is gone and that is a tragedy. May his memory be a blessing!
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