JoJo Siwa Had An Uncomfy Convo With Nickelodeon Execs After Coming Out

Back in January 2021, former Dance Moms star JoJo Siwa had the whole internet talking. It was then that Siwa shared a video to Instagram in which she told her followers she’s a member of the LGBTQ+ community. “I have never, ever, ever been this happy before and it feels really awesome,” the then-17-year-old said. But three years later, Siwa is revealing there was some negativity going on behind the scenes of her coming out.

Not only was Siwa’s comments section riddled with the cruel hateful remarks social media users have come to expect from anonymous homophobes online, but she also had to deal with a particularly awkward response from her boss.

“At the time, I remember I was still signed to Nickelodeon, and the president of the company was like, ‘So, what are we gonna tell the partners?’” Siwa recalled during her April 10 appearance on Call Her Daddy. “I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ [He was like,] ‘What are we gonna tell the retailers? You need to have a call with all of them and reassure them that you’re not going crazy.’”

Thankfully, what could have been some very tense phone calls turned out to be super supportive. “I had to take a call with all of them, and they were all so excited: ‘We’re so proud of you. We’re already thinking about Pride this year,’” Siwa said. “And I remember [the Nickelodeon execs] being like, ‘Oohhh.’”

Siwa’s been pretty vocal about some issues she’s had with Nickelodeon in the past. In 2022, she revealed the network didn’t invite her to their Kids Choice Awards despite having been a regular attendee at the event each year. A few months before that, she claimed Nickelodeon prevented her from performing certain songs on her tour.

Siwa admitted she can understand why people her age might struggle to come out: “It’s scary. The world is a scary and unaccepting place,” she said on Call Her Daddy. And dispelling that fear is a big part of why she’s so proud she came out as a teenager. “I think me coming out at 17 was massive for kids. As a 20-year-old now, I look at 17-year-olds and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, how do you even know?’”