Joelle Joanie "JoJo" Siwa (; born May 19, 2003) is an American dancer, singer, actress and
YouTuber
A YouTuber is an online personality and/or influencer who produces videos on the video-sharing platform YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006.
Influence
Influent ...
. She is known for appearing for two seasons on ''
Dance Moms
''Dance Moms'' is an American reality television series that debuted on Lifetime on July 13, 2011. Created by Collins Avenue Productions, the show follows the training and careers of children in dance and show business under the tutelage of Abb ...
'' along with her mother, Jessalynn Siwa, and for her singles "
Boomerang
A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning b ...
" and "Kid in a Candy Store". Siwa posts daily videos of her day-to-day life on her YouTube channel, "Its JoJo Siwa". She was included on ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
''s annual list of the
100 most influential people in the world in 2020.
Early life and career
Joelle Joanie Siwa was born in
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...
, on May 19, 2003, to Jessalynn (née Lombardi), a professional dance instructor from
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
, and Tom Siwa, a
chiropractor
Chiropractic is a form of alternative medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the spine. It has esoteric origins and is based on several pseudoscie ...
from
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
. She has one sibling, an older brother named Jayden Siwa, who is also a vlogger.
Siwa started her career as a top-5 finalist and the youngest contestant on the second season of ''
Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition
''Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition'' was an American dance reality competition series on Lifetime. The series encompasses twelve talented boy and girl dancers who are competing for $100,000 and a scholarship to the prestigious Joffrey Ballet Ac ...
'', produced by
Abby Lee Miller
Abigale Lee Miller (born September 21, 1965) is an American television personality who founded the Abby Lee Dance Company, which appeared on the reality television series ''Dance Moms'' for eight seasons.
On June 27, 2016, Miller pleaded guilty ...
of ''
Dance Moms
''Dance Moms'' is an American reality television series that debuted on Lifetime on July 13, 2011. Created by Collins Avenue Productions, the show follows the training and careers of children in dance and show business under the tutelage of Abb ...
'' fame. She appeared on the show with her mother and was eliminated in week 9. Siwa soon began to appear on ''Dance Moms'', beginning with auditioning for Miller's "ALDC" dance competition team in 2014 and being selected for the team in early 2015.
In May 2016, Siwa released "
Boomerang
A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning b ...
" for download and a previous single, "I Can Make U Dance". "Boomerang" addresses the subject of online bullying.
[ Its video has been viewed more than 950 million times and received over 5 million likes. In 2018, Siwa was named the Breakout Artist of the Year by ]Vivid Seats
Vivid Seats Inc. is an American ticket exchange and resale company. The company went public on October 19, 2021 after a merger earlier in that year with Horizon Acquisition Corporation, a SPAC. It trades on the NYSE and Nasdaq as SEAT.
In 2017, ...
.
In 2018, Siwa announced that she would be going on her first major concert tour in 2019, entitled D.R.E.A.M. The Tour
JoJo Siwa D.R.E.A.M. The Tour or D.R.E.A.M. The Tour was the debut and currently the only concert tour of American dancer, singer, actress and YouTuber, JoJo Siwa
Joelle Joanie "JoJo" Siwa (; born May 19, 2003) is an American dancer, singer ...
. She was scheduled to visit a mixture of theaters, outdoor amphitheaters and stadiums, as well as indoor arenas in a total of 52 cities across the United States and Canada. Additionally, other performances would take place in the United Kingdom and Australia. The tour was scheduled to begin in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
on May 17. The first leg of the tour was scheduled to conclude on June 26 in Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
, before resuming for the second leg on July 10 in Orlando, Florida
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...
. The final date was scheduled for August 20 in Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, Canada. She was included on ''Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
''s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world in September 2020 and on Fast Company
''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year.
History
''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...
's Queer 50 list in 2021.
On April 4, 2022, she was announced as a judge for the seventeenth season of ''So You Think You Can Dance
''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and has ...
'', along with Matthew Morrison
Matthew James Morrison (born October 30, 1978) is an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter, best known for his role as Will Schuester on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox television show ''Glee (TV series), Glee'' (2009–2015). He has s ...
and Stephen "tWitch" Boss
Stephen Laurel "tWitch" Boss (September 29, 1982December 13, 2022) was an American freestyle hip hop dancer, choreographer, actor, television producer, and television personality. In 2008, he finished in second place on the American version o ...
.
On September 9, 2022, she was announced as the recipient of the Gamechanger Award from GLSEN for her anti-bullying advocacy efforts.
Other ventures
In 2016, Siwa released a line of hair bows in a collaboration with fashion accessory and jewelry company Claire's
Claire's (formerly known as Claire's Boutiques, Claire's Boutique and Claire's Accessories) is an American retailer of accessories, jewelry, and toys primarily aimed toward tween and teen
girls. It was founded in 1961 and is based in Hoffman E ...
. The line of hair bows, which were inspired by the hairbows Siwa is known herself for wearing, experienced particular success among primary school pupils in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, where some schools took to banning them for a variety of reasons, including peer pressure, causing distraction from work, the impairment of pupils' concentration, and violation of school dress policies. Due to the bows' popularity, some stores also began selling similar bows. In 2017, Siwa commented that her bows were a "symbol of power, confidence, believing-ness."
Siwa subsequently partnered with the American department store J. C. Penney to release a line of accessories, bedroom decor, and a doll made in her likeness, and has released several books aimed at young children.
In June 2019, the FDA
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...
issued a warning about dangerous levels of asbestos
Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...
in a JoJo Siwa-branded cosmetics kit, prompting Claire's to recall the product.
Siwa signed with Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
in 2017, appearing in the film '' Blurt!'' with Jace Norman
Jace Lee Norman (born March 21, 2000) is an American actor. He starred as Henry Hart in the Nickelodeon television series ''Henry Danger'' from 2014 to 2020.
Early life
Norman was born in Corrales, New Mexico. He moved to Southern California whe ...
and the show '' Lip Sync Battle Shorties'' with Nick Cannon
Nicholas Scott Cannon (born October 8, 1980) is an American television host, actor, rapper, and comedian. In television, Cannon began as a teenager on ''All That'' before going on to host ''The Nick Cannon Show'', ''Wild 'n Out'', ''America's G ...
. Siwa later competed in season 3
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pola ...
of ''The Masked Singer
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' as "T-Rex". At the age of 16, she was the youngest contestant to appear on the show until Honey Boo Boo performed as one half of "Beach Ball" in season 6
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...
. Siwa appeared as a playable character in the 2020 video game '' Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix'', as well at its 2022 sequel '' Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway''.
In January 2021, Spin Master created a card game called "JoJo's Juice", which contained questions about nudity and theft, despite being marketed toward children ages 6 and older. Siwa later apologized and claimed she was not involved in the game's content development; the game was recalled from all toy store shelves.
Siwa competed on the thirtieth season of ''Dancing with the Stars
''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...
'', in which she was part of the first same-sex dancing partnership in the show's history. She and her partner, Jenna Johnson
Jenna Leigh Johnson (born September 11, 1967) is an American former competition swimmer and Olympic gold medalist.
As a 16-year-old, Johnson represented the United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. She won three m ...
, ultimately placed 2nd.
In 2021 General Mills
General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the company orig ...
started producing a breakfast cereal called JoJo Siwa Strawberry Bop, with Siwa prominently depicted on the box. The cereal contains strawberry-flavored sweetened corn puffs with marshmallows shaped like yellow and white stars, pink bows, and blue hearts.
She is one of ''Time'' 100 Most Influential People
''Time'' 100 (often stylized as ''TIME'' 100) is an annual listicle of the 100 most influential people in the world, assembled by the American news magazine ''Time''. First published in 1999 as the result of a debate among American academics, po ...
.
During the seventeenth season of ''America's Got Talent
''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribut ...
'', JoJo and Jessalyn formed the group XOMG Pop that were previously discovered on ''Siwa's Dance Pop Revolution'' who auditioned by singing "Candy Hearts". The judges were impressed and promoted them to the next round. JoJo and Jessalyn congratulated the group as JoJo told the judges that she is a big fan of ''AGT''.
Personal life
Siwa was in a relationship with TikTok
TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
TikTok is an international version ...
star Mark Bontempo from August to November 2020. Siwa came out as being part of the LGBTQ+
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is ...
community on social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
in January 2021. When a fan then asked what her label was, Siwa added that she does not label her sexuality
Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...
, as she "doesn't really know this answer". She later stated "Technically I would say that I am pansexual
, meaning "all"
, definition = Sexual or romantic attraction to people regardless of gender
, classification = Sexual identity
, parent = Bisexuality
, synonyms =
, associated_terms = Polysexual, queer, heterofl ...
, because that's how I have always been my whole life is just like, my human is my human." In the same interview, Siwa mentioned that she also uses the terms "gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
" and "queer
''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...
". She has since confirmed that she is not attracted to men.
In February 2021, Siwa revealed that she was in a relationship with her best friend, Kylie Prew, who had asked her to be her girlfriend a month prior. After a breakup in late 2021, the two confirmed in May 2022 that they were back together. Siwa and Prew broke up for a second time in June 2022. In August 2022, Siwa began dating social media content creator Avery Cyrus. In December 2022, it was announced that Siwa and Cyrus had broken up.
Bibliography
* ''JoJo's Guide to the Sweet Life: #PeaceOutHaterz'' (2017)
* ''Things I Love: A Fill-In Friendship Book'' (2018)
* ''JoJo Loves BowBow: A Day in the Life of the World's Cutest Canine'' (2018)
* ''JoJo's Guide to Making Your Own Fun: #DoItYourself'' (2018)
* ''JoJo and BowBow Take the Stage'' (2018)
* ''JoJo and BowBow: Candy Kisses'' (2019)
* ''JoJo and BowBow: The Posh Puppy Pageant'' (2019)
*''Jingle Bows and Mistletoe (Jojo and Bowbow Super Special)'' (2020)
*''The Great Beach Cake Bake'' (2020)
*''Spring Break Double Take (Jojo and Bowbow Book #8)'' (2021)
Filmography
Television series
Films
Music videos
Discography
Soundtrack albums
Extended plays
Singles
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Siwa, JoJo
2003 births
21st-century American singers
21st-century American women singers
21st-century LGBT people
Actresses from Omaha, Nebraska
American child singers
American female dancers
American LGBT actors
American TikTokers
American women pop singers
American YouTubers
Articles containing video clips
Child pop musicians
Dance-pop musicians
Dancers from Nebraska
Judges in American reality television series
LGBT dancers
LGBT people from Nebraska
American LGBT singers
LGBT YouTubers
Living people
Musicians from Omaha, Nebraska
Pansexual actresses
Pansexual musicians
Participants in American reality television series
Singers from Nebraska