JoJo Siwa Claims Nickelodeon Snubbed Her After She Came Out As Part Of LGBTQ+ Community

JoJo Siwa is just one of many former child stars who spoke to Demi Lovato for her documentary, "Child Star," which is now streaming on Hulu.

Not only did the "Dance Moms" alum talk about signing an umbrella deal, but JoJo Siwa opened up about how publicly coming out as part of the LGBTQIA+ community in January 2021, had a negative impact on her career.

JoJo grabbed attention when she came out as LGBTQ through a series of TikTok and Instagram posts.

Speculation about her sexuality arose after she lip-synced to Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" following a day spent with the TikTok group Pride House LA.

“I didn’t realize I guess that no child star — who is still a child star — had ever come out before," JoJo told Demi, who uses the pronouns them/she, in the documentary. "The president of the network called me and was like, ‘What are we going to tell the kids? What are we going to tell kids and parents?’"

"And he was like, ‘Well you need to have a call with every retailer and tell them you are not going crazy,'” she claimed. “So I did and I had a call with every retailer. ”

“Everything after I had come out had changed. The way they communicated with me, worked with me and how they developed my work," the actress added.

The dancer went on to tell Demi how she was left out of the 2022 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards after being involved in several previous events before coming out and accused the network of blackballing her.

“A lot of you have been asking me why I’m not at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards tonight,” she said in a video shared on social media at the time. “And the answer is very simple: I wasn’t invited. I’m not sure why. But I didn’t just get an invite.”

According to a source close to Nickelodeon, JoJo's absence from the event was attributed to an "honest mistake," the insider revealed to Variety at the time.

JoJo later explained to Demi how her social media habits have changed since her time as a child star, revealing that she now posts hundreds of times a day on Snapchat.

"There’s nothing left for me at the end of the day,” she admitted to Demi in the documentary about her career.

On July 9, 2024, Variety announced that JoJo's latest personal and professional developments will be explored in an upcoming unscripted docuseries from "Dance Moms" creator Jeff Collins. While the series remains untitled, it is set to trace JoJo's journey from child star to "adult pop star."

The former Nickelodeon star confirmed that she was part of the LGBTQ+ community on Instagram by sharing a photo of herself wearing a shirt that read "Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever."

She later opened up in an Instagram Live session, where she explained that she wasn’t ready to label her sexuality definitively but expressed her happiness and gratitude for the overwhelming support she received.

Although many fans and celebrities praised her bravery, JoJo also disclosed that her career faced setbacks after coming out. Despite these obstacles, she has remained outspoken about her identity and continues to be a strong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.

In May 2021, Demi publicly came out as non-binary, opening up about their personal journey of self-discovery.

In a heartfelt social media post, the former Disney Channel star revealed that they would be adopting they/them pronouns, explaining that this decision represented their evolving understanding of their gender identity. The singer shared that living authentically had been a key part of their growth, and their announcement came after a period of deep healing and introspection.

Alongside their non-binary identity, Demi has been transparent about their sexual fluidity, identifying as pansexual. They have openly discussed their attraction to individuals of any gender, reinforcing their commitment to LGBTQ+ advocacy.

Demi's new documentary "Child Star" is streaming on Hulu.