JoJo Siwa may still be a teenager, but the LGBTQ pop star continues to prove she's a leader not only in her own community, but in mainstream pop culture as well.
On Thursday, June 23, Siwa's new show — "Jojo Goes" — will premiere on Facebook Watch and it'll document the crazy fun adventures she's been up to with her famous friends.
"It's fun because it's basically me doing every adventure that I've always wanted to do and never been able to because of who I am," she told TODAY of the series.
The professional dancer — who rose to fame in Lifetime's hit show "Dance Moms" — has almost 42 million on followers on TikTok and another 11 million on Instagram. Last year, she starred in her own feature film "The J Team" on Paramount+, starred alongside her mom in the reality series "Siwa's Dance Pop Revolution" on Peacock, and embarked on a North American tour.
In January 2021, Siwa came out as a member of the LGBTQ community and later introduced her girlfriend, Kylie Prew, to the world.
"It's interesting, because I knew when I came out that it was going to be a big deal for the world, but I didn't necessarily realize that it was going to be as big as it was," she said. "It's crazy because I love that I get to be an example for others. That is probably my favorite thing about what I get to do and being able to just be out and still be who I am, it feels really nice."
Siwa has since spoken to LGBTQ youth about queer issues at her concerts, hosted iHeartRadio’s 2022 Can't Cancel Pride event, and headlined the WeHo Pride Parade with Janelle Monáe, all of which was captured for "JoJo Goes."
"You get to see all the behind the scenes of that," she said, as well as an opening Pride Month number she filmed for "So You Think You Can Dance," the national dancing competition that airs on Fox. In May, Siwa became a judge, saying it's "so cool" she got to be a part of the "iconic show."
"It doesn't go a day without me being like, 'Whoa, this is real.' So it's really cool to get to be a part of it," she added.
'I’m a loyal human'
But that doesn't mean there aren't some downs when you're in the public eye like her.
Last year, fans took it hard when Siwa revealed she wasn’t invited to the 2022 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards although she’s been working with Nickelodeon since 2016. Also, E! News reported she criticized the company on Twitter for not allowing her to perform certain songs on her “JoJo Siwa D.R.E.A.M. The Tour.”
At the time, TODAY reached out to Nickelodeon for comment and didn’t hear back.
“I’m a loyal human, and I like to be a good person," she said about her relationship with Nickelodeon. "It’s hard when somebody does not nice things and doesn’t treat you the way that you deserve and the way that a human should be treated. However, everything is OK.”
“Things come up. Things go down. Right now, I’m OK, they’re OK,” Siwa explained on where they stand today. “We’re working. We’re good. Nobody wants to be mad, continue to fight, to be sad. Everyone wants to get along and that’s kind of the policy that I live by and that I choose to live by.”
If you love something, let it go
Another relationship of hers that has been highly publicized by the press is Siwa's on-again, off-again relationship with Prew who will also be featured on "JoJo Goes." She's already shown many cute moments that they've had together on Instagram, including the time they went to a Dodgers game oe shared a kiss on the beach.
Siwa has also been very open about their relationship and revealed that they broke up in November 2021 before they got back together in May of this year.
Siwa noted that she wanted to give their relationship another shot after she spent some time with Prew on the West Coast after their break up. Prew was in California for other reasons, and after Siwa found out, she reached out for the two of them to get back together IRL. After spending time apart, they rediscovered what they meant to one another.
Siwa said, "Then, I was like, 'Yeah, we should get back together."
Siwa announced that they were a couple again on Instagram. She shared a photo of her kissing Prew on the cheek in front of the Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World. She captioned it, "If you love something let it go, if it comes back ..."
Siwa decided to share that moment with her fans to let them know "it's OK to live life, to be together, to be happy, to be sad, to be celebrating. It's OK to be hiding and it's OK to be anything."
This is the positive and inspirational mindset that has made the 19-year-old a leader in the LGBTQ community.
She said, "I just believe that no one should feel ashamed of who they are."
To celebrate LGBTQ pride, TODAY is sharing this community’s history, pain, joy and what’s next for the movement. We will be publishing personal essays, stories, videos and special features throughout the entire month of June.