JoJo Siwa is sitting in a high chair, having her make-up done for the YOU photoshoot. The process doesn’t take long: some eyeshadow, mascara, foundation – it’s all finished in less than 20 minutes. A metre or so away I am on the sofa with her publicist. ‘God, she’s got such good skin,’ I say. There’s a pause. ‘Well, yeah,’ replies the PR, ‘she’s only 22′.
For the unaware, the dancer-turned-entertainer-turned-singer is arguably the most successful child star born in the 21st century. (And this year JoJo has become known for her appearance on Celebrity Big Brother and her consequent relationship with the former Love Island-er Chris Hughes. But more on that later.) Hers is a staggering, spangled story. That of a girl who went on reality television when she was nine; by 13 had released albums and acted in films; at 15 presided over a billion-dollar business and sold 90million hair bows to children across the world; who sold out London’s O2 Arena aged 16; and who now – at ‘only 22’ – has to work out what to do next.
Jacket and Trousers, Karen Millen. Necklace, Laura Lombardi. Shoes, Kurt Geiger
Joelle Joanie Siwa was born in Omaha, Nebraska, a small Midwestern city. The household consisted of her mother Jessalynn (a dance teacher), her father Tom (a chiropractor) and her elder brother, Jayden. It was a ‘middle class’ childhood; Jayden went to private school, and so did JoJo for a year, before starting homeschooling. ‘The decision stemmed – and this sounds crazy – because I was too smart for school,’ she says. ‘It was really easy for me. I was bored.’
In 2013, when JoJo was nine, Jessalynn signed her up for Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition, a spin-off of the reality show Dance Moms. She made an impression and was asked to join the main programme, relocating with Jessalynn to California.
Dance Moms followed young dancers training under Abby Lee Miller, a now 59-year-old choreographer who spent most of the episodes shouting at the children for not remembering routines. Watching now, I’m amazed by the sturdiness of a tiny JoJo. In one episode, Miller informs her – at full volume and in front of a large room of people – that she ‘deserves nothing’ and JoJo looks, ever so slightly, like she might cry. Miller smells blood and intensifies (‘No, no, no, nope, no crying children!’) and JoJo says, in a suddenly grown-up voice: ‘Well, if you yell at me, I’m going to cry.’
Today, many of the dancers have denounced Miller – but not JoJo. (Miller came to visit her in London after she finished Celebrity Big Brother.) If one thing is clear from our conversation, it’s that JoJo doesn’t bother with grudges. She speaks constantly about positive attitudes. ‘It’s hard for me to have bad feelings towards people or companies or things,’ she says. ‘I just think the most important thing in life is to choose to be happy.’
Vest, Levi’s. Culottes, Reiss. Bracelet, Samantha Siu. Socks, Sock Shop
In 2017, after two years of Dance Moms and aged 13, JoJo was signed by Nickelodeon. This is when she became truly famous. She made TV shows and films; released songs and music videos; and at 15 embarked on a 132-show world tour. Later that year JoJo became the youngest person to sell out London’s O2 Arena. ‘The first time I played an arena I cried, because I just couldn’t believe it,’ she says. ‘But then it became my normal. It became my every night.’
Then there was the merchandise. Of all the child stars in history, none has so successfully turned themselves into stuff as JoJo did. Companies like Walmart, Amazon and Claire’s sold JoJo Siwa dolls, backpacks, shoes, hoodies and hairbrushes. There was slime, glitter, stickers and – most importantly – bows. She was known for wearing an outsized bow on her head and the product was her best seller. JoJo bow-bows started at £3, came in 6,000 varieties and were so popular in the UK that several British schools banned pupils from wearing them. (Apparently, they breached uniform policies.)
Estimates suggest JoJo is now worth $20million (£14.8million). Californian laws mean 15 per cent of a child star’s earnings go into a locked bank account only they can access when they turn 18. (The 85 per cent goes to the parents and is supposed to cover the child’s living and education, plus taxes and job-related expenses.) JoJo has said previously that her mother worried she would turn 18, take the money and leave the family. JoJo didn’t, of course, but how did she react to hearing that? ‘I laughed. I was like, that was never going to happen!’ Also, ‘if I had blown through it, that would have been screwed up of me’.
Blazer, Marks & Spencer via Ebay. Dress, Reiss. Shirt, Laura Pitharas. Necklace, Annabel B. Shoes, Grenson
She adds: ‘Truthfully, an 18-year-old should not have access to the money that I had access to. Even though it was my money, an 18-year-old can’t handle that. At 22, I still can’t comprehend it.’
Although she did buy a Lamborghini on her 18th birthday. ‘My dad took me to get it. I really wanted a car. It was my [present to say]: “You survived!”’ She promptly had the vehicle ‘wrapped’ in giant stickers of her face. The car has since been unwrapped and sold.
This year JoJo also got rid of the six-bedroom house in Tarzana, California, she had bought for her family five years previously. She now lives alone in nearby Encino, in suburban San Fernando Valley, renting a three-bedroom apartment. ‘A lot of people say: “Why are you renting? You’re throwing money out the window.” But my rent is cheaper than my air conditioning bill was in my house.’
How much was the air conditioning bill? ‘Too much!’ How many figures? ‘Too many!’
JoJo’s parents live in a house that she bought, but her 25-year-old brother is now financially independent from her, working as an indoor skydiving instructor and living in Florida with his fiancée. She is incredibly close to all of them. How old was she when she realised she was her family’s breadwinner? ‘Honestly, not until pretty recently, because I’d never been told that.’
When JoJo and her mother left the family home for California to shoot Dance Moms, Jayden and Tom stayed in Omaha, living normal lives. Jayden went to school, Tom worked as a chiropractor, and they saw JoJo and Jessalynn every few weeks.
JoJo with her mother and manager, Jessalynn, in 2018
When Jayden turned 19, the family wanted to reunite in California, which meant Tom needed to quit his job. Her mother told JoJo: ‘You can change your mind [about your career]. But if your dad and brother move out here, you can’t decide overnight that you just want to stop.’ JoJo was 16 at the time.
‘I’ve had people in my life say that was crazy of my parents,’ says JoJo. ‘But no, my dad was choosing to give up his financially stable job, because of my financially stable job, so that we could all be a family.’
Child stars quite often, because of the fame and the money and the pressure, go a bit mad. JoJo seemingly hasn’t. That is, she says, thanks to her family – ‘100 per cent’. Today her mother, who is 50, is her manager and still sews the rhinestones on her costumes by hand. ‘Once she passes on in this life, I don’t think I will continue with my career. I think that would be the only thing that would make me go: “Right, time to move to a small town.” I’m not going to put on a costume if I know that she hasn’t made it.’
It sounds to me like there’s a lot of pressure on JoJo to keep working. She disagrees. ‘If I wanted to stop working I could, right now, and I’d be fine [financially] for the rest of my life. But I don’t want to, because I have a passion for it.’
In January 2021, when she was 17 and Nickelodeon’s biggest star, JoJo came out. There was no team consultation, she just posted a photo to Instagram of her wearing a T-shirt that read: ‘Best Gay Cousin Ever’, then went to bed. (She technically considered herself ‘pansexual’ – a broader term than bisexual that means being attracted to men, women and people who are gender fluid.) In the morning, JoJo has said that the president of ‘the company I worked for’ called and asked her what they was supposed to tell her young audience. He also instructed her to ring every single retailer that stocked her products and assure them she wasn’t going crazy. She obliged and says that the retailers were ‘so supportive, so excited, so happy. I honestly think that made the company be like: “Whoa, maybe we’re the problem.” Nickelodeon has denied this took place.
Two months later, she wasn’t invited to the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, the company’s answer to the Oscars. Afterwards, Nickelodeon said it was an ‘honest mistake’; others wondered if she’d been blackballed.
‘I don’t think they blackballed me,’ she says today. ‘I think they just didn’t want anything to do with me after that [coming out]. I think they almost made the conscious choice to forget about me. If it was because of my sexuality, then all good,’ she shrugs. ‘You know what I mean? My coming out didn’t faze me. It fazed them and I couldn’t care less.’
By 2024, JoJo had to perform the tricky act that all child stars must: she had to grow up. She binned the bows, cut her hair, wore a lot of black leather, and released a song called Karma with the first line: ‘I was a bad girl, I did some bad things’. It was all, she admits, nonsense. ‘I faked being naughty for a year. I faked that I was screwing people left and right. I think I wanted attention. And I look back and I’m like: “What were you doing? You look crazy!”’
Jojo with boyfriend and Celebrity Big Brother co-star Chris Hughes last month
Commercially, this new vibe wasn’t as successful as JoJo with the bow-bow. When she recalls her childhood experience at the O2, she acknowledges, ‘Now, I couldn’t sell out an arena if I tried. I mean, the goal of course is to get back there, but you age, and you change, and I’m not doing the same stuff.’ It’s true. JoJo’s two recent (sold-out) shows in London were at Colors, a 300-person venue.
That might be the trickiest thing about being a child star: dealing with the fact that, almost always, your career peaks when you are young. ‘It’s weird,’ JoJo says. ‘It’s almost the feeling of: man, is my 14-year-old self more successful than my 22-year-old self? But I’ve got to give it up for her. I’m proud of her!’
JoJo’s stint on Celebrity Big Brother (and her relationship with Hughes) has reignited public interest in her in the UK. But I sort of wonder why she did the show at all – she has enough money that she could retire and be comfortable for ever. Maybe once you’ve played sold-out arenas at the age of 16, it’s hard to accept a normal life. Also, it’s all she knows. When I ask JoJo what she remembers of her childhood in Omaha, she says very little. She began working in the media when she was nine. ‘I don’t remember not being public.’
She tells me she entered the Celebrity Big Brother house in April not for money, but for fun. ‘My team was like: “No, we have to stay on music right now.” I was like: “No, I love reality TV. This will be a blast.”’
Two days into the show, JoJo was confronted by the 72-year-old actor Mickey Rourke. He asked if she was a lesbian, she said yes, and Rourke replied: ‘If I stay longer than four days, you won’t be gay any more.’ Shortly after, in the smoking area, Rourke declared: ‘I need a fag’, and then pointed to JoJo and said: ‘I’m not talking to you.’ He was later made to leave the house and JoJo has not heard from him since. ‘Honestly, if I saw him on the street, I don’t think he’d know who I was.’
Top and shorts, Asos. Socks, Sock Shop. Loafers, Rejina Pyo at Couverture & The Garbstore
But the biggest Celebrity Big Brother story was JoJo’s growing relationship with Hughes. They made an unlikely pair. He is ten years her senior, is the son of a Gloucestershire farmer, appeared on Love Island in 2017 and now works as an influencer (with 2.2million Instagram followers) and TV presenter. She defined herself as a lesbian and was in a relationship with the non-binary actor Kath Ebbs. Still, they became close and people began to wonder if they fancied each other. By day 16 inside, JoJo told another contestant she now felt she was ‘queer’ rather than a ‘lesbian’. This heaved buckets of fuel on the fire.
They left Celebrity Big Brother, JoJo broke up with Ebbs and then there was a protracted ‘will-they-won’t-they’ thing between her and Hughes. They went on holiday to Mexico and posted cosy pictures together, but when asked about it would say stuff like ‘we’re platonic soulmates’.
When I meet JoJo, the relationship has been confirmed publicly. ‘I’ll just say that it took time. It took time away and then it took time together.’ Later she says, sweetly, that Hughes is now ‘the favourite part of my life’. (Before the photoshoot we go for coffee and, when a father and baby walk past us, JoJo says: ‘God, I want kids so much.’)
She is meeting Hughes’ family that evening – ‘and his horse!’ – and spending a week in the Cotswolds. After that, she will return to the US to finish her tour. ‘I’ve been in a long-distance relationship before and it’s tough, obviously, but you make it work. We’re both lucky because we have careers that we control.’
I ask what it’s like to go out with her first English partner and if there are any cultural differences. ‘Look,’ she replies, ‘he’s also the first boy I’ve ever really gone out with, so…’
Finishing third in the Celebrity Big Brother final in April this year
Of her sexuality, JoJo says she is queer (the umbrella term for people who identify other than straight). ‘When I came out at 17, I said: “I’m pansexual, because I don’t care [about gender].” But then I kind of boxed myself in and I said: “I’m a lesbian.” And I think I did that because of pressure.’ Where did that pressure come from? ‘In a weird way, I think it came a little bit from inside the [LGBTQ] community at times. From people I know, from partners I’ve had. You just get put in this world where you feel like, because you now have said, “Oh, I’m a lesbian”, you have to be a lesbian. And the truth is, sexuality is fluid.’
Her first girlfriend, who she’s still close to, texted her a happy message once she left Celebrity Big Brother. ‘And if even she can be supportive of Christopher and me, then there’s no reason others can’t be!’ Conversely, Ebbs posted several unhappy TikToks in response to the break-up. At this, JoJo is unbothered. ‘It’s all good. Sometimes people just like to have a quick bite.’
It is a typical JoJo Siwa response. The girl (and she really is still a girl) who is: not angry at her ex for publicly denouncing her; not angry at Mickey Rourke for bullying her; not angry at Nickelodeon for ‘forgetting’ her. It feels like you’re remarkably stable, I say, like you haven’t… She finishes this sentence for me: ‘Gone crazy? Yes. I mean, I’m young; there’s still time for me to develop and to process more of what’s happened in my life.
‘But, truth be told, I think I’ve done most of that. I’ve already thought about it and I’m beyond happy with it all. If I could go back in time, I wouldn’t change a thing. Really. Zero. I would change nothing.’
JOJO BY NUMBERS
1.02billion
The number of views for the music video of her song Boomerang
1million
Pairs of JoJo Siwa shoes ordered by Walmart in a month (the chain’s largest ever single shoe order)
45.9million
Followers on TikTok
500
The number of Nickelodeon employees worldwide who once worked on the JoJo brand
350
The number of Snapchats she used to post every day
$50,000
The amount she allegedly spent on veneers aged 17
$27million
Earnings from the 2019 North American leg of her D.R.E.A.M tour
13hours
The length of her rehearsals in the run-up to her 2024 Karma tour
9
Her age when she first appeared on Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition
Picture Editor: Stephanie Belingard.
Fashion Director: Sophie Dearden-Howell.
Fashion assistant: Hope Palmer.
Hair: Richard Scorer for Haringtons Hairdressing using L’Oréal.
Make-up: Caroline Barnes using Jones Road.
