Unlike the other subjects interviewed in Demi Lovato ‘s upcoming Child Star documentary, JoJo Siwa recalls her early start in the limelight as being mostly positive. One exception, however, would be the aftermath of her coming out as part of the LGBTQ community in 2021. In the film, Siwa alleges her coming out led to her partnership with Nickelodeon changing.
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According to a new article published by The Hollywood Reporter Wednesday (Aug. 14), the Dance Moms alum claims in the doc — which arrives on Hulu Sept. 17 — that her relationship with the entertainment company was never the same after she posted a video on social media confirming her queer identity. “I basically got blackballed from the company,” she says.
Siwa also allegedly claims that the president of Nickelodeon called her after she posted her coming out video. “What are we going to tell the kids?” she recalls him asking, to which she says she replied, “That I’m happy?”
He then allegedly told a 17-year-old Siwa to “have a call with every retailer” selling her merch and assure them that she wasn’t “going crazy.” The “Karma” artist, who’s now 21, says she proceeded to get on the phone with Target, Walmart and Claire’s.
A spokesperson for Nickelodeon, however, denied Siwa’s claims in a statement to THR . “We are unaware of the incident JoJo is referencing and she was certainly not blackballed by Nickelodeon,” they said. “We have valued and supported JoJo throughout our incredibly successful partnership, which included a JoJo-themed Pride collection at a major national retailer, among our many collaborations together. We continue to cheer her on and wish her nothing but the best.”
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Siwa first signed with Nickelodeon in 2017 when she was just 13, after which she starred in a number of projects for the network including JoJo Siwa: My World, JoJo’s Follow Your D.R.E.A.M., JoJo’s Dream Birthday and The JoJo and BowBow Show Show . A few months after coming out in 2021, Siwa claimed that Nickelodeon was preventing her from singing songs from her musical film The J Team , which the company produced, on her D.R.E.A.M. Tour.
“There has been a [response], but it’s not on me to share,” she said at the time. “I love my brand, but I think it’s forgotten that I’m a human sometimes and that hurts.”
The following year, Siwa told followers that she hadn’t been invited to the 2022 Kids’ Choice Awards and implied that it was because of her queer identity. “The only year that @itsjojosiwa didn’t get invited to the kids choice awards is when she comes out and cuts her hair?????? Sus @Nickelodeon,” wrote one fan on X, who was then retweeted by Siwa.
At press time, a number of JoJo Siwa Pride items are available for purchase from Paramount , which owns the Nickelodeon brand.
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