Nickelodeon Defends JoJo Siwa's Absence At Kids' Choice Awards

“Dance Moms” icon JoJo Siwa was not present at the recently-concluded Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards held on April 9 at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.

She has been an honoree in the recent past, winning in various categories, and this year, she was nominated as the favorite social music star. However, the award went to Dixie D’Amelio.

Despite the nomination, Siwa was noticeably absent at the event, and a Nickelodeon representative explained the cause of the error.

Following her absence at the KCA event during the weekend, Siwa posted a video on Instagram telling her fans why she was not present at the occasion.

She said, “A lot of you have been asking me why I'm not at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards tonight, and the answer is very simple, I wasn’t invited; I'm not sure why but I just didn’t get an invite.”

The caption read similar words, but the celebrity added, “I don’t want anyone to think it was my choice not to go… I simply didn’t get an invite:( "

Thousands of supporters took to the comments to express their disbelief in Nickelodeon. They sent their love while exclaiming that Siwa deserved an invite.

Notable stars including Kerry Washington, Mollee Gray, Colleen Ballinger, Olivia Jade, Alan Bersten, Elliana Walmsley, Avery Cyrus, and several others were among the commenters sticking up for the dance icon.

A fan noted how sad the situation was, saying it made “no sense” as her brand was with Nickelodeon, and she was nominated, while another fan stated that she was too good for the company.

Following the backlash prompted by the "Dancing with the Stars" alum, a representative of the kids' television channel set the record straight about Siwa's absence.

According to Variety, Siwa's ticket to the award show was missing and an honest mistake on the show’s production’s part.

A close source to Nickelodeon explained that the error came about “because of a much-reduced audience size due to COVID protocols.”

However, fans of the star suspected that the company was against her being an outspoken LGBTQ activist after coming out last year.

In response to the speculations, the source said, “That is so off the mark and very upsetting. It was truly an unfortunate mistake, and she definitely should have been there.”

The news outlet further revealed that executives of the company will reach out to Siwa “to try to make things right.”

The social media personality is a proud member of the LGBTQ community, and she marked one year of coming out in January.

In honor of the special day, she shared, “In the last 365 days, I’ve felt more love than ever. A year ago today, I posted this picture and shared with the world that I was gay.”

The 2022 Kids’ Choice Award was hosted by Miranda Cosgrove and Rob Gronkowski. It was the 35th edition and featured performances from Jack Harlow and Kid Cudi.

It's no surprise that several speculations have surfaced concerning Siwa's absence at the award ceremony given her tumultuous relationship with Nickelodeon.

Last year, The Blast recounted Siwa’s controversial backlash on Nickelodeon as they allegedly did not allow her to perform her songs on her 37-city D.R.E.A.M tour.

She stated, “I go on tour in January. My movie musical was just released (with 6 new original songs)… Nickelodeon told me today that I’m not allowed to perform/add any of the songs from the film into my show.”

As you may know, the musical “J Team” premiered last summer on Paramount+ and featured six of the 18-year-old’s own creations.

Not including the songs did not seem fair to Siwa as she lamented that those were her songs, her voice, and her writing. She also believed there was no reason why the singles should not be added to the tour.

The YouTuber wanted her concert to be the best and revealed that having the music from her movie was important. She wished it was equally significant to the production company.

Her statement gained tons of support from fans far and wide as they bombarded her with numerous helpful messages adding #Istandwithyoujojo, which led to its trend on Twitter.

A supporter noted that studios and corporations that depended on performers like her should not be in so much control while stating Siwa should be able to use her songs in her act.

Around the same time, the “Boomerang” soloist also prepared for a new season of “Dancing With The Stars.” She was notably the first star to team up with a dancing partner of similar gender on the show.