Joelle Joanie "JoJo" Siwa ( ; born May 19, 2003) is an American singer, dancer, actress, and media personality. From 2015 to 2016, she appeared as a dancer on two seasons of the reality television show '' Dance Moms'' alongside her mother, Jessalynn Siwa. She was included on ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

''s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020. In 2017, Siwa signed to

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

and acted in various television shows and films. With Nickelodeon, she released several children's songs and her own feature film, '' The J Team'', in 2021. The music video to her song "

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool typically constructed with airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...

" has been viewed over 1 billion times on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

. In 2024, Siwa initiated her post-Nickelodeon career with the extended play ''Guilty Pleasure'', led by the single "

Karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...

". The following year, she was a contestant on the 24th series of the British reality television show ''

Celebrity Big Brother ''Celebrity Big Brother'' or ''Big Brother VIP'' is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, t ...

'' and left the house in third place.

Early life

Joelle Joanie Siwa was born in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, on May 19, 2003, to Jessalynn Siwa (née Lombardi), a professional dance instructor from

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, and Tom Siwa, a

chiropractor Chiropractic () is a form of alternative medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of physical disorder, mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the vertebral column, spine. It is based on sever ...

from

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

. Her father is of Polish descent. She has one sibling, an older brother named Jayden Siwa, who was previously also a vlogger; he now works as a

real estate agent Real estate agents and real estate brokers are people who represent sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and age ...

Career

2013–2019: ''Dance Moms'', breakthrough with music and Nickelodeon

Siwa started her career as a top-5 finalist and the youngest contestant on the second season of '' Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition'', produced by Abby Lee Miller of '' Dance Moms'' 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 her songs "

" and "I Can Make U Dance". "Boomerang" addresses the subject of online bullying. Its music video has been viewed over 1 billion times and received over 5 million likes. Also 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 towards tween and teen girls, and young women. It was founded in 1961 and i ...

. The line of hair bows, which were inspired by the hair bows that were Siwa's signature accessory during this period, experienced particular success among primary school pupils in the United Kingdom, 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. Siwa commented that her bows were a "symbol of power, confidence, believing-ness." Claire's recalled a JoJo Siwa-branded cosmetics kit product in 2019 after 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 it containing dangerous levels of

asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...

. Siwa signed with

in 2017, appearing in the film '' Blurt!'' with Jace Norman and the show '' Lip Sync Battle Shorties'' with

Nick Cannon Nicholas Scott Cannon (born October 8, 1980) is an American comedian, television presenter, actor, and rapper. In television, he began his career as a teenager on Nickelodeon's '' All That'' before going on to host '' The Nick Cannon Show'', '' ...

. Siwa partnered with the American department store J. C. Penney in 2018 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 2018, Siwa was named the Breakout Artist of the Year by Vivid Seats. Siwa then announced that she would be going on her first major concert tour in 2019, entitled D.R.E.A.M. The Tour. She was scheduled to visit a total of 52 cities across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. The tour was scheduled to begin in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) 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 over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

on May 17 and conclude in Vancouver, Canada on August 20.

2020–2023: Continued television work and other ventures

In 2020, Siwa competed in season three of '' The Masked Singer'' 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 six and later Marsai Martin as "Woodpecker" in season twelve. 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''. She was included on ''

''s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world in September 2020 and on ''

Fast Company ''Fast Company'' is an American business magazine published monthly in print and online, focusing on technology, business, and design. It releases six print issues annually. History ''Fast Company'' was founded in November 1995 by Alan Webb ...

s Queer 50 list in 2021. In 2021, Siwa competed on the thirtieth season of ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...

'', in which she was part of the first same-sex dancing partnership in the show's history. She and her partner, Jenna Johnson, ultimately placed 2nd. She was one of ''Time'' 100 Most Influential People in 2021. In January 2021, the board game ''JoJo's Juice'', marketed for children aged 6 and above, was withdrawn from sales by game makers Nickelodeon and Spin Master after a controversy over the game's content, which included questions about nudity and being arrested. Siwa responded that month, stating that she was not informed about the game's questions, and opined that "my name and my image have been used to promote this board game that has some really inappropriate content … I was really, really, really upset at how gross these questions were". In the same year,

General Mills General Mills, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded ultra-processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in ...

started producing a breakfast cereal called JoJo Siwa Strawberry Bop, consisting of strawberry-flavored sweetened corn puffs with marshmallows shaped like yellow and white stars, pink bows, and blue hearts. On April 4, 2022, she was announced as a judge for the seventeenth season of '' So You Think You Can Dance'', along with Matthew Morrison and

Stephen "tWitch" Boss Stephen Laurel "tWitch" Boss (September 29, 1982December 13, 2022) was an American freestyle dance, freestyle hip hop dancer, choreographer, actor, television producer, and television personality. In 2008, he finished in second place on the Am ...

. On September 9, 2022, she was announced as the recipient of the Gamechanger Award from GLSEN for her anti-bullying advocacy efforts. In 2023, during the seventeenth season of ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is an 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 distributed by) and ...

'', 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''. JoJo and Jessalyn were in the audience during the Quarterfinals. In December 2023, Siwa performed " Step in Time" from the 1964 movie ''

Mary Poppins Mary Poppins may refer to: * Mary Poppins (character), a nanny with magical powers * Mary Poppins (franchise), based on the fictional nanny ** Mary Poppins (book series), ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fanta ...

'' on the primetime CBS special ''Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic''.

2024–present: Rebrand and ''Guilty Pleasure''

On January 26, 2024, she was announced to be returning as a judge for the eighteenth season of ''So You Think You Can Dance'', replacing

Nigel Lythgoe Nigel Lythgoe OBE (; born 9 July 1949) is an English television and film director and producer, television dance competition judge, former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He was the producer of the shows ''Pop Idol'' and ''Ame ...

, who had earlier announced his withdrawal from the upcoming season. In February 2024, Siwa and her mother were alleged to have mistreated members of XOMG! Pop by subjecting members to grueling rehearsal schedules that left little time for school and promoting an unhealthily competitive working environment. Siwa debuted her post-Nickelodeon image at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards to which she wore a black mesh bodysuit, a fauxhawk, and makeup inspired by American rock band

Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...

. At the event, she compared her rebrand to that of

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( , born Destiny Hope Cyrus, November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and director. Regarded as a contemporary pop icon, Cyrus has been recognized for her evolving artistry and image reinventions. She is ...

in 2013 ahead of the release of Cyrus' fourth studio album, '' Bangerz''.

Gene Simmons Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; ; born August 25, 1949) also known by his stage persona "The Demon", is an Israeli-born American musician. He was the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss, which he co-founded wit ...

said that "she looks cool." Charlie Duncan of '' PinkNews'' described it as a "fairly jarring rebrand", while Sydney Brasil of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'' opined that "she looks the same as she once did, just in darker colors." The look became an

internet meme An Internet meme, or meme (, Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through Social media, social media platforms. Internet memes manif ...

. On April 5, 2024, Siwa released her official debut single as an adult artist, "

", which received mostly negative reviews and generated online backlash. Siwa called "Karma" her "first breakout adult moment" after performing for 11 years with a child-friendly image. In an interview with ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', she expressed a desire to "start a new genre of music ... It's called gay pop." Following viral backlash and negative criticism from queer musicians Tegan and Sara, Siwa clarified her position in a later interview. "I am not the inventor of gay pop, for sure not. ... I might not be the president, but I might be the CEO, or the CMO." She also denounced online critiques of her comments, adding, "I could say I want world peace. And everyone would be like, 'how dare you want peace for the world.' It'll blow up." In July 2024, she released her fourth EP, titled ''

Guilty Pleasure A guilty pleasure is something, such as an activity or a piece of media, that one enjoys despite understanding that it is not generally held in high regard or is seen as unusual. For example, a person may secretly enjoy a film while acknowledg ...

''. The fourth track from the project, "Choose Ur Fighter", was released as a single with an accompanying music video on January 1 the following year. In June 2025, ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...

'' reported Siwa had been dropped from Columbia Records.

Personal life

Siwa was in a relationship with

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

star Mark Bontempo from August to November 2020. Siwa came out as being part of the

LGBTQ+ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group i ...

community on social media in January 2021, initially declining to label her sexuality. Later, she said she is pansexual, and a few months later shared that she was not attracted to men, and identified as

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

. During her time on ''Celebrity Big Brother'' in 2025, in a conversation with Danny Beard, Siwa admitted she had begun to identify as

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

rather than lesbian, saying "fuck the ' L', I'm going to the ' Q. She further disclosed she used any/all pronouns, indicating she identifies as

non-binary Non-binary or genderqueer Gender identity, gender identities are those that are outside the male/female gender binary. Non-binary identities often fall under the transgender umbrella since non-binary people typically identify with a gende ...

, having previously talked about her gender identity search on Raven-Symoné's podcast. Siwa had an on and off relationship with Kylie Prew from February 2021 to June 2022. She also dated social media content creator Avery Cyrus from August to December 2022, dancer Dakayla Wilson from August to November 2024 and non-binary Australian influencer/actor Kath Ebbs from January to April 2025. Siwa met English television personality

Chris Hughes Christopher Hughes (born November 26, 1983) is an American entrepreneur and author who co-founded and served as spokesman for the online social directory and networking site Facebook until 2007. He was the publisher and editor-in-chief of ''The ...

on ''Celebrity Big Brother'' in April 2025, and by that June, described their relationship as "not platonic any more". In August 2024, Siwa expressed interest in participating in the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

, specifically wanting to represent Poland due to her Polish heritage.

Filmography

Television

Film

Discography

Soundtrack albums

Extended plays

Singles

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Siwa, JoJo 2003 births Living people 21st-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Omaha, Nebraska American child pop musicians American child singers American dance-pop musicians American female dancers American LGBTQ dancers American LGBTQ singers American TikTokers American queer actresses American queer musicians American women in electronic music American women pop singers Articles containing video clips Columbia Records artists Dancers from Nebraska Electropop musicians Judges in American reality television series LGBTQ people from Nebraska LGBTQ YouTubers Musicians from Omaha, Nebraska Nickelodeon people Participants in American reality television series Queer singers Queer dancers Republic Records artists Singers from Nebraska YouTubers from Nebraska American people of Polish descent Internet memes introduced in 2024 American non-binary musicians Non-binary dancers Non-binary singers American non-binary actors American non-binary artists