JoJo Siwa Recalls How Former Company Treated Her Badly When She Came Out
By Afouda Bamidele on March 26, 2023 at 10:00 AM EDT
JoJo Siwa has exposed the reaction she received after a company found out about her sexual orientation.
The dancer has been a familiar face since she joined the talented dancers on the second season of "Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition" at age nine. She, alongside her doting mother, Jessalynn, later became part of the fifth season of "Dance Moms," where the success-hungry preteen became one of the stars to look out for.
In fact, within the two seasons, she partook in the competition series, JoJo launched a YouTube channel — garnering millions of subscribers within a short period. She eventually exited "Dance Moms" in 2017 because Nickelodeon had snapped her up.
JoJo Siwa Calls Out The Company That Reacted Negatively To Her Coming Out News
Even though she came out on her terms, donning a black "Best Gay Cousin Ever" shirt that her cousin gave her in a casual social media post, Siwa has been hesitant to label her sexuality as she admitted she was unsure what it should be. Now, the "Kid in a Candy Store" singer has divulged that more happened behind the scenes of her coming out journey.
In a video posted recently, the star said that she received a negative response from a company she used to work with after they discovered she was gay. The 19-year-old was called into a meeting with the company's president, who quizzed her about how her young fans would feel about her sexuality.
Lip-synching to Meghan Trainor's recently released single "Mother" in the clip, JoJo wrote in the text overlay: "During this meeting the PRESIDENT of the company negatively asked me 'what are you gonna tell your young demographic.'" She continued, saying:
"I took a second to process what I was just asked, and then… I replied… 'THE TRUTH.' I've never seen a man roll his eyes so far in the back of his head…"
The "Boomerang" hitmaker noted that the office was silent until she "started talking again" and told the boss, "I'm not gonna hide who I am and who I love to anyone, ESPECIALLY to the next generation."
The "SpongeBob SquarePants" cameo star pointed out that while her former employer was displeased with her response, she has continuously received accolades from "SO many adults" since coming out. "Which reminds me everytime that I did the right thing and to never let ANYONE change who you are," Siwa concluded.
The "Dancing with the Stars" contestant's fans showered her with praise in the clip's comments, with one person gushing: "proud of you for always being unapologetically who you are, no matter what."
A second fan agreed, calling her a "hero to young kids" that needed a "positive person to look up to." This would not be the first time that the YouTuber would recall significant moments from her past.
Per The Blast, the Children's and Family Emmy Awards nominee reminisced about when she realized she was gay earlier this week. The realization came during a two-week stay at Disney World in Florida with a "close female friend." At some point during their vacation, Siwa claimed that she realized, "Oh, I like her," before clarifying:
"And having all those feelings while just being in the most magical place in the world and the happiest place on Earth was so cool. We're not together anymore, but we did have some really fun, happy memories here."
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In January, The Blast observed that Siwa addressed a rumor about her becoming romantically involved with TikTok celebrity Savannah Demers. The "Nickelodeon's Not-So-Valentine Special" star took to her Instagram Story to share a video that she kicked off by updating viewers about how she got "paparazzied" while hanging out with her friend.
She then expressed that even though the pal she was caught with already had a partner, the media spun the story to allege that she was out on a "flirtatious date with a new TikTok model" due to her status.
The "So You Think You Can Dance" judge expressed her amusement at the article, which remained undisclosed, as they talked about her breakup – the wrong one — and got their ages wrong. The actress then said, "but now I'm realizing something else. In this article, it was like JoJo even got the door for this girl."
At this point, Siwa spun around to unveil the door above, showing that it automatically opens and closes by itself. She rounded up the footage with a laugh, as she had proven that the publishers of the article were not credible sources for celebrity tea.
