Here’s How JoJo Siwa Got a Female Partner on ‘Dancing With the Stars'

JoJo Siwa has had quite the year.

The 18-year-old pop culture phenomenon came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community at the beginning of 2021, shocking and elating fans who have watched her on TV since she was a young girl on Dance Moms. 

For Siwa, it wasn't a moment of fear but of joy. "I kinda came out and then I was like, 'woah, I just did that,'" she tells PRIDE. "I didn't care if there was a bad outcome from it because I was like, if I lose everything from being happy then I lose everything. Great. But I'm happy. And life is about being happy. If my whole career goes away, I'll go to college and be a neurosurgeon. We're going to make it work."

Luckily for Siwa, "nothing changed. The world only grew more with me. We have found so much positivity in my coming out which has been so amazing. 

Siwa's mom-ager, Jessalyn, says she's "just so happy for JoJo. We couldn't ask for anything better. The best thing as a mom is just to see your kid happy and I do think this is the happiest JoJo has ever been. I'm here for it."

She's currently in the midst of a history-making run on ABC's celebrity competition Dancing With The Stars, where Siwa is absolutely slaying as the first competitor to be paired with a partner of the same gender. 

It turns out the show casually brought the idea of a same-gender partner to Siwa.

"It was actually something really subtle," she says. "The producers and creators of the show floated the idea in an email and said 'they could see if they could make something happen.'"

Her response was "absolutely. Not even a question. Female. Not only because it's who I am but also for the world it'll do so much and it will be so inspiring and that's what I wanted."

In the midst of her DWTS stint, her brand new Peacock series, Siwas Dance Pop Revolution, is premiering today on Peacock.

"The reality competition series follows Jessalyn and Jojo as they mentor young talent that compete for a coveted role in XOMG Pop, a brand-new pop group that will be managed by Jessalyn," the official description reads. "Eleven tweens will participate in a series of performances and challenges, while JoJo will serve as the choreographer. As part of the grand prize, the newly crowned pop group will serve as an opening act for JoJo."

For Jessalyn, these kinds of shows hold a special place in her heart. "I used to sit on set at Dance Moms and think, if this is my show, this is what I would do." She grew up watching Micky Mouse Club and Star Search and felt like now was the perfect moment to make those dreams a reality, especially since "JoJo can be a mentor and creative director and we can make a girl group phenomenon."

JoJo's most excited for the world to the performances on the show, sixteen to be exact, as well as the world watching the kids' transformations and growth on camera. "It's magical," she says.

As far as LGBTQ+ storylines, Siwa hasn't seen the show and doesn't know what they'll include from her personal life or the kids', but she says they are 100% open to the girl group – and any member in it – becoming whatever or whoever they want to become. 

"We just want them to know that growing up in today's world, you can be who you want to be," she says. "Like Gaga said, 'gay, straight or bi, lesbian, transgender life.' This is a girl group, but if all of a sudden in a few years, one of them feels like they might want to transition, great we're a boy-girl group. Great, we're a girl/nonbinary group."

Siwa's Dance Pop Revolution premieres November 4 on Peacock. Watch our full interview with the Siwas below: