From sparkly bows to black spikes: Inside JoJo Siwa’s generation defining life

She did indeed come back like a Boomerang

5 months ago

No matter how hard you try, you can’t escape JoJo Siwa at the moment and the seemingly never ended chaos of her life. She rose to fame on the fifth season of Dance Moms alongside her mum Jessalynn and quickly became a fan favourite, always recognisable by her trademark vibrant dance wear and hair bows.

But JoJo’s public image has considerably evolved throughout the years. Recently, JoJo has swapped out the rainbow colours and rhinestoned hair bows for a darker, more rebellious look in which she labelled a “first in a generation” change. What does this mean for JoJo’s image as an influential figure in the public eye, and how will this alter the direction of her influence as a celebrity over her shifting fanbase?

An insight into JoJo’s chaotic, generation defining life so far might give us some clues. What has JoJo been up to recently? Who is she currently dating? Has she been travelling anywhere? Has she sparked laughter or controversy in the media recently? Let’s take a deep dive into the life of JoJo Siwa and find out.

JoJo is 20 years old and lives in LA

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A post shared by JoJo Siwa (@itsjojosiwa)

JoJo was born on 19th May 2003 meaning she is currently 20 years old. Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, she now lives in an $3.5 million 6,111-square-foot Mediterranean-style mansion in Tarzana, suburban Los Angeles with her mother Jessalynn and her father, Dr. Tom Siwa.

However, in late 2023, JoJo revealed that she had lived with two romantic partners by the time she was nineteen, jokingly referring to herself as a “U-haul lesbian” (a lesbian that moves in very quickly with a romantic partner).

She came out as LGBTQIA+ in January 2021

via @itsjojosiwa on Twitter

JoJo came out as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community in January 2021, via a Tweet which read “My cousin got me a new shirt”. Attached was a photo of JoJo looking down smiling at her shirt, which read “Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever.”.

Initially, when asked by a fan what label she used, JoJo did not label herself however she later described herself as “technically (…) pansexual”, citing that “my human is my human” regardless of gender identity. She has also used the terms “queer” and “lesbian” to describe herself since then.

After coming out, JoJo made history on season 30 of the American ballroom competitive dance show Dancing With The Stars as the first contestant to dance with a same-sex partner.

She has quite a messy dating history

Broadimage/Shutterstock

Shortly after coming out in 2021, JoJo revealed that she had a girlfriend, Kylie Prew, who she first met on a cruise. JoJo revealed her relationship status on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon where she said she had the “most amazing, wonderful, perfect, most beautiful girlfriend in the whole world.” The pair had an on-off relationship for just over a year before calling it quits for good.

JoJo has also been rumoured to have been romantically-linked to TikToker Katie Mills however neither ever confirmed the nature of their relationship. However, it was later revealed that Mills had liked a transphobic Tweet years ago, which coincided with JoJo announcing her relationship status as single. Katie addressed the controversy and apologised for liking the Tweet, citing her immaturity and religious upbringing as factors that influenced her behaviour.

JoJo also dated internet personality Avery Cyrus for about three months in 2022. The break-up was announced on TikTok in true Gen-Z fashion and JoJo’s mother Jessalynn later posted a cryptic video on her Instagram story of JoJo pacing back and forth angrily. Yikes.

She already has a sperm donor lined up and has her future kids names tattooed

As of right now, JoJo does not currently seem to be dating anyone. However, she has recently announced that she has a “sperm donor” lined-up, and she has recently had the names of her future babies tattooed on her arm: The girl’s name Freddie, and the names of twin boys, Eddie and Teddie.

JoJo has a net worth of $20million

Through all her TV appearances and branded merchandise that she has been selling since a young age, JoJo is thought to have a net worth of about $20million.

She’s been doing the circuit of reality TV shows

via FOX

Understandably, as a celebrity famous across the globe, JoJo is always travelling. In 2023, JoJo travelled to New Zealand to work on a project that both JoJo and her mother were keeping under wraps. JoJo subsequently appeared as a contestant on Season Two of the American TV show Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. JoJo participated in gruelling survival challenges and competed against fellow celebrities while doing so. JoJo eventually withdrew from the competition on the final day, citing her personal life as the main factor that influenced her decision to do so.

At just 20 years old, she’s already spent a whopping $50,000 on cosmetic procedures

Speaking on the red carpet of the GLAAD Media Awards 2024, JoJo Siwa joked with Buzzfeed that the most expensive thing she was wearing were her teeth, saying “My teeth – these motherf–kers cost me 50 grand.”

JoJo, Jessalynn and the XOMG POP! Controversy

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A post shared by JoJo Siwa (@itsjojosiwa)

The drama with JoJo doesn’t stop there. JoJo and her mother Jessalynn formed the girl-group XOMG POP! following their joint 2021 TV show, Siwas Dance Pop Revolution.

However, in early 2024, allegations of mistreatment of the XOMG POP! members by JoJo and Jessalynn began to surface online. The claim from The Sandersons included that the girl-group worked in a toxic, humiliating environment of name-calling, insults, and hostile competition. The member of the group claims they allegedly weren’t directly or consistently paid for their work, and allegations of long, harsh, gruelling rehearsals, and the alleged bullying behaviour of Jessalynn, have also surfaced online. JoJo and Jessalynn have since denied all allegations. The parents of the current members of the group chose not to comment but sent Rolling Stone statements praising their experience with the group as positive.

JoJo has since rebranded herself, releasing her new single Karma

Since the beginning of 2024, JoJo has undergone a dramatic rebrand; long gone are the sparkly hair bows and glittery, rainbow-coloured outfits. Now, JoJo favours rebellious, full-length black bodysuits, androgynous hairstyles, and spiky black makeup.

Earlier this month, JoJo released her first song since her rebrand, entitled Karma. The earworm can currently be found all over TikTok and Instagram Reels, with the catchy, defiant chorus “Karma’s a b****, I should’ve known better, if I had a wish I would have never effed around…” providing the soundtrack to videos of social media users attempting to recreate JoJo’s questionable yet entertaining viral dance from the music video.

It was later revealed that JoJo’s song was originally intended to be performed by Miley Cyrus but was rejected by Miley, and that singer Brit Smith recorded a version of the song in the early 2010s, a previously unreleased version of the track that Brit released shortly after JoJo released her own version of the song. The Brit Smith version of the song has ironically overtaken JoJo’s version on the music charts since this was revealed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Dl2c6AW-J8

In a video of an interview which is now circulating on social media, JoJo states that “nobody has made this big of a change” in terms of rebranding, and shifting both their public image and the demographic of their fanbase so drastically.

Upon its release in early April 2024, JoJo’s new single Karma received largely negative reviews from the media and the general public, especially since it was revealed that JoJo’s song is just her own version of an old song that was originally going to be released in the early 2010s, originally intended for Miley Cyrus and subsequently performed by Brit Smith.

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