JoJo Siwa Through the Years: ‘Dance Moms,’ Nickelodeon and Beyond

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JoJo Siwa rose to fame as a contestant on‘Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition’ in 2013 before joining the cast of ‘Dance Moms’ — find out more

Dancing through life! Joelle Joanie “JoJo” Siwa became a reality star at 9 years old when she competed on the Dance Moms spinoff Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition during its second season in 2013. From there, the energetic personality has become a household name, conquering TV, music, merchandising and more — to much fan excitement.

From a young age, the starlet enjoyed dancing. Her mother, Jessalyn Siwa, was a dance instructor in Nebraska and taught her daughter her very first steps, which was often mentioned during the pair’s tenure on the Lifetime shows.

“When my husband would come pick her up at the [dance] studio, she would not want to leave at night,” Jessalyn told Rolling Stone in a June 2019 interview. “She was two years old; couldn’t even dance or do anything.”

Years later, Jessalyn and JoJo became known for their larger-than-life personalities when they joined the Lifetime competition, with JoJo’s signature hair bows making a major impression.

“I would say it’s my mission in life to make JoJo a star,” Jessalyn said during the AUDC kickoff episode.

JoJo’s tenure on the competition show was ultimately cut short when she was eliminated during the 10th episode. She and her mother later joined the Abby Lee Dance Company (ALDC) during the fifth season of Dance Moms.

During her two-season journey on the popular reality show, JoJo launched her own YouTube channel, which since has garnered more than 12 million subscribers.

“I never forget where I came from with YouTube,” JoJo told Rolling Stone in 2019. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without it.”

As the young star’s channel gained popularity, she eventually had more professional opportunities in the works, such as releasing music, starring on TV programs and inking a Nickelodeon talent deal for events and merchandise.

The “D.R.E.A.M.” singer later came out to her social media followers as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in January 2021, snapping a photo of herself wearing a T-shirt that read, “Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever.” A few weeks after she publicly disclosed her sexuality, JoJo told her Instagram followers that she was “the happiest I’ve ever been” during a livestream.

One month later, the starlet confirmed she was dating Florida native Kylie Prew, writing via Instagram, “After being my best friend for over a year … I got to start calling this exceptional human my girlfriend. Since then, I’ve been the happiest I have ever been! She seriously is the most loving, supportive, happiest, protective and just the most beautiful perfect person in the world. And I get to call her mine!”

The “Boomerang” singer gushed about the pair’s connection in August 2021.

“I think we are able to communicate really well,” the former reality star exclusively told Us Weekly at the time. “And I think both of our intentions are super genuine and we both want the same outcome of this relationship, you know, we both want to be together for forever and we both just want to be there for each other. And so, I think that that’s why it works, you know? I never wanted to grow up and then have somebody come into my life in that way. I wanted to meet somebody who I was in love with when I was young.”

Later that month, ABC announced that JoJo would compete on season 30 of Dancing With the Stars, as part of the first all-woman partnership.

“I am so excited to be a part of this year’s Dancing With the Stars season 30 and to be dancing with a girl, I think it’s so cool,” the J Team star said in a Twitter video shared the official DWTS account at the time. “It’s going to be the best ever, I can’t wait to just dance every single week. I can’t wait to meet my partner.”

Scroll below to revisit JoJo’s best moments throughout the years: