JoJo Siwa’s biggest controversies ahead of Celebrity Big Brother including pregnancy hoax

JoJo Siwa has faced backlash several times over the years (Picture: Getty Images/ ITV)

It’s been a decade since JoJo Siwa burst onto our screens as one of the young performers put through their paces on Dance Moms.

Just nine-years-old at the time, JoJo – real name Joelle Joanie Siwa – faced the brutal training regime of Abby-Lee Miller, who infamously once told the other young dancers to write out reasons why they should kick JoJo out and then read them to her face.

Throughout her time on the show – which began with an appearance Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition before she joined Dance Moms – JoJo and her mother Jessalynn were regularly taunted for being ‘too loud’.

It’s a criticism that she’s faced in the years since, with many people making clear their dislike of the performer simply because they find her ‘too much’.

This week it was revealed the now 21-year-old had joined the upcoming season of Celebrity Big Brother, with many saying they were ‘shocked’ by the development.

Although some said they were unsure about her casting, she’s already emerged as one of the frontrunners to win before even entering the house.

What is JoJo Siwa known for? The singer is set to appear on the upcoming season of Celebrity Big Brother (Picture: MediaPunch/ Rex/ Shutterstock)

Throughout her career, JoJo has been a divisive figure, finding herself in hot water over the years.

In 2016 JoJo released her song Boomerang, which addressed online bullying and now boasts over one billion views on YouTube.

That same year she teamed up with accessory store Claire’s, releasing a line of hair bows that became a best-seller and made her a household name with young girls who rushed to snap up the products.

But it was in 2017 that she branched out from Dance Moms, signing with Nickelodeon, which saw her take off after appearing on a string of movies and TV shows.

She first appeared on Dance Moms as a nine-year-old (Picture: Lifetime)

In the subsequent years she took a break from dancing, turning her focus to music and going on her first major concert tour (D.R.E.A.M, The Tour) in 2019.

That same year she made an incredibly random appearance on Keeping Up with the Kardashians, where she hung out with Kim’s oldest child North West.

She’s also competed on several reality shows, including The Masked Singer and Dancing with the Stars (she was the first ever contestant to have a same-sex partner on the American version), as well as acting as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance.

What controversies has she been embroiled in? JoJo signed a massive deal with Nickelodeon (Picture: Wesley Hitt/ Getty Images for Nickelodeon)

Despite all she’s achieved so far, JoJo has also been at the centre of several controversies.

The recalled make-up palettes with asbestos and ‘inappropriate’ board game

The first came in 2019, when a make-up kit she made in collaboration with Claire’s was recalled after it tested positive for asbestos.

At the time the teenager issued a public statement, saying ‘safety is my number one priority’ and the product was being pulled from shelves.

Although she wasn’t personally responsible for the production of the palettes, she took responsibility.

JoJo with her mum Jessalynn Siwa (Picture: Kristin Callahan/ Rex)

That same year a Nickelodeon-branded game for children called JoJo’s Juice was released but left many outraged after the truth and dare-style game had cards asking questions like, ‘Have you ever walked in on someone naked or had someone walk in on you?’ and ‘Have you ever been arrested?’.

Issuing another public apology, JoJo said she was made aware of the ‘inappropriate’ questions by fans and wanted the game pulled from shelves too.

Although many understood JoJo wasn’t responsible for these product issues, subsequent scandals were harder to distance herself from.

‘Blackface’ backlash

In 2020 she was slammed when the music video for her song Nonstop saw a young white girl dressed up as a monkey and wearing dark face make up and ears, a move many said was ‘blackface’.

She refused to address this backlash though, instead posting on social media that she was busy ‘blocking anyone who is going to be mean’.

Her response to critics in following years only saw her become even more of a divisive figure.

In 2023 she sparked outrage for appearing to defend fellow YouTube star Colleen Ballinger who was facing accusations of grooming.

Pregnancy hoax In 2023 she was slammed after sharing a series of shots suggesting she was pregnant (Picture: Snapchat) It later emerged it was a prank (Picture: Snapchat)

That same year a series of posts in which JoJo pretended to be pregnant riled many up. Over the course of a few weeks, she shared photos cradling her belly and buying baby clothes, posts that later disappeared.

Many questioned her actions, saying it was insensitive and disrespectful.

XOMG POP claims Jojo Siwa helped form the musical group XOMG POP! (Picture: Momodu Mansaray/ Getty Images)

JoJo was plagued by yet another controversy that same year after she and her mum were accused of creating a hostile work environment.

After forming the group XOMG Pop that were discovered on her show Dance Pop Revolution, they went on to compete on America’s Got Talent.

In an expose by Rolling Stone, Jessalyn was accused of being ‘overtly cruel’, while it was claimed JoJo was ‘nasty and domineering’.

However, the pair denied the allegations and said they were ‘100% probably false’.

Adult artist rebrand and being the ‘creator of gay pop’ She debuted an edgy new look last year (Picture: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images)

Around the same time JoJo decided it was time to shake off her kid-friendly image, debuting a new look last year.

Worlds away from her bright, sweet and heavily bow-adorned looks that had defined her style for years, she attended an event in a black mesh bodysuit with a mohawk and make-up inspired by Kiss in what PinkNews called a ‘fairly jarring rebrand.

In April she went on to release her official debut single as an adult artist. Karma caused a massive stir and was critically panned.

Her Karma music video caused a stir in 2024 (Picture: JoJo Siwa/ YouTube)

Her music video left jaws dropped too, with Billboard calling the raunchy lesbian scenes ‘truly wild’. It was brutally singled out as the most disliked music video of that year, generating 3.1 million dislikes.

Speaking about her new music JoJo, who came out as gay in 2021, also said she wanted to create a ‘new genre of music…gay pop’, comments that saw her piled on by many for suggesting she was responsible to the existing genre.

What has JoJo Siwa said about the backlash? JoJo has spoken several times about coming under public scrutiny (Picture: Image Press Agency/ NurPhoto)

In 2020 she broke down in tears when speaking about dealing with insecurities while facing public scrutiny.

‘I judge myself at everything. I’m a very insecure person,’ she said, also revealing her stress became so severe she developed a ‘stress rash’ aged 12 and started balding.

When asked why she thinks people have such strong opinions over her last year, JoJo replied: ‘Because it’s fun to.’

Despite the backlash that’s been levelled at the young star, her rise has been incredibly impressive.

In 2020 she was included on Time’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

A few years ago, it was also estimated JoJo was worth a whopping $14 million (£10.25 million).

With over 11 million followers on Instagram, she shows no signs of slowing down, sharing last year she was also keen to competed in Eurovision, wanting to represent Poland due to her Polish heritage.

JoJo said she needed to ‘stay true’ to who she is (Picture: Chelsea Lauren/ Rex/ Shutterstock)

In a few days’ time, she will be seen on one of the UK’s biggest reality shows, with Celebrity Big Brother only set to raise her profile even more.

Speaking to Metro in 2019, JoJo spoke about trying to overcome her critics.

‘People can be really mean, and it does sometimes get hard, but it’s about staying true to who you are, remembering why you do what you do and not letting anybody stop you for any reason,’ she said.

‘It’s not their life, it’s your life.’

Celebrity Big Brother returns to ITV and ITVX on Monday, April 7.

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