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JoJo Siwa Describes "Dance Moms" As A 'Massive' But 'Detrimental' Part Of Her Career

The TV personality explained in the Tuesday, May 7 episode of her podcast 'JoJo Siwa Now' that she's "grateful" for her 'Dance Moms' experience

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

JoJo Siwa on March 14, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.

JoJo Siwa says her experience on Dance Moms was a "detrimental" yet "massive" part of her career.

On the Tuesday, May 7, episode of her JoJo Siwa Now podcast, Siwa, 20, recalled first joining the Lifetime series.

"Today, we are kind of going back to, not necessarily how it started for me and how I became a public human being, but something that I think really was detrimental to my career and was massive for me, which was Dance Moms," she began at the beginning of the episode, noting how she just participated in the Dance Moms reunion.

"The Dance Moms reunion, you know, it was a mixed bag of bones for me, for sure," she explained. Siwa reassured listeners that wasn't the case for the original series.

Jerod Harris/Getty

JoJo Siwa on June 08, 2023 in Hollywood, California.

Related: JoJo Siwa Recalls Dance Moms Reunion Filming 'Drama' and 'Always' Feeling Like an 'Outsider' Amongst Cast

Although Siwa said starring in Dance Moms was "detrimental" and "massive," she did not give details on why. Instead, she credited the series as "the biggest blessing of [her] entire life."

"It is one of the things that I'm most grateful for," said Siwa, adding, "Of course, there were hard days."

For Siwa, those "hard days" weren't something she shied away from. She said on her podcast that the "love, blood and sweat" got her to where she is today. "It is a massive part of my career that I will always and forever be so freaking grateful for."

Lifetime JoJo Siwa in "Dance Moms."

Also during the installment, Siwa opened up about her decision to leave Dance Moms in season 6 after she signed a contract with Nickelodeon. She explained that although she loved her experience on the show and coach Abby Lee Miller, she was eager for another opportunity.

"It was tough, though, because I really enjoyed being a part of it," said Siwa. "I loved it. I loved my friends. I didn't think my friends would still be friends with me if I wasn't on the show. I didn't know how the world was gonna react. It was very tough because it was so real. It was all that I knew."

She confessed that she and her mother Jessalynn debated the decision; however, she still believes that leaving the show was "the right choice."

Related: JoJo Siwa Says Dance Moms Reunion Producers Tried to Get Her to 'Call Abby' While Filming: 'No Way'

Dance Moms/Youtube

(L-R) Kendall Vertes, Kalani Hilliker, JoJo Siwa and Maddie Ziegler in 'Dance Moms'.

"I'm very grateful that I ended Dance Moms the way that I did," said Siwa. She shared that she received advice from a Dancing with the Stars cast member who said she and her mother should leave while they still loved it.

"I could have been there longer, I should have been there longer, I wanted to be there longer," said Siwa. "I think leaving Dance Moms while I still loved it was the best decision."

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Dance Moms: The Reunion is available to stream on Lifetime.

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Resurfaced Clip Of JoJo Siwa Having Hair Bleached As Toddler Sparks Outrage Amongst Fans

Published 17:35 8 May 2024 GMT+1

A resurfaced clip of JoJo Siwa having her hair bleached as a toddler has sparked major outrage amongst fans.

The 20-year-old dancer and singer first shot to fame back in 2015 after appearing as a dancer on two seasons of the reality television show, Dance Moms, alongside her mum, Jessalynn Siwa.

Since then, she's gone on to release a load of music and even star in her own TV show, Siwa's Dance Pop Revolution.

However, some recently rediscovered footage of a baby-faced JoJo in Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition has been making its rounds on social media and it's left people pretty uncomfortable.

In the video which was shared to TikTok, JoJo, who was nine-years-old at the time, can be seen getting her hair dyed while telling the camera: "I have been dying my hair since I was like two - maybe one and a half."

She revealed: "I'm not a natural blonde I'm actually a natural brown. I get brown roots so I have to dye it."

The clip then cut to mum Jess dying her daughter's hair as she said: "You know, your hair is getting really dark.

"We're going to need to lighten this up."

She added: "Nothing is off-limits when it comes to doing what I think will benefit JoJo."

And people have since rushed in to share their reactions to the clip.

Dance Moms star, JoJo Siwa, has been getting her hair dyed since she was two years old. (Instagram/@itsjojosiwa)

One TikTok user wrote: "Oh this makes me sad."

"I have no words." a second said, while a third called it 'crazy'.

"How did her hair not fall out or breakage." someone else said.

While a fourth sympathised: "I feel for her."

"That's insane," another said.

And a final TikTok user added: "JoJo had the cutest voice and was an adorable child.. But I do not agree with the hair dying that young! Crazy to me!!!"

Dermatological expert Dr. Sejal Shah has warned parents to avoid using permanent dye on children's hair as it often contains ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, and a chemical known as paraphenylenediamine.

A young JoJo can be seen getting her hair bleached (Lifetime)

Such chemicals can cause extremely bad reactions to the scalp, and permanently damage hair.

The expert explained to Good Housekeeping: "I really don't think it's safe to dye or bleach a child's hair until after puberty, and ideally not until their late teens — at least 16."

Stylist Bonnie Harmon adds: "Before puberty, a kid's hair is typically thinner and more fragile and can be easily damaged by even the most gentle hair colour formulas…

"An allergic reaction could result in broken skin, hair loss, hives, itchy scalp, swelling, burning and difficulty breathing."

Tyla has contacted JoJo's reps for comment.

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@itsjojosiwa/Lifetime

Topics: Celebrity, Parenting, TikTok, Social Media, Hair

JoJo Siwa Got Exactly What She Wanted From 'Karma' With 'Saturday Night Live' Parody

"ICONIC. I literally don't know what to say this is fucking crazy. 3 and a half minute skit on SNL," the former child star shared in reaction to the skit

It only took an entire month, but Saturday Night Live has finally jumped on the JoJo Siwa rebrand train. During this weekend's Dua Lipa-hosted episode, cast member Chloe Fineman transformed into the former child star for an appearance on Weekend Update, where she declared: "I'm the first gay girl in the world."

Fineman wore a detailed recreation of Siwa's glittering black outfit from the "Karma" music video and spent nearly four full minutes parodying the 20-year-old's good girl gone bad transformation. Siwa reposted the skit on Instagram Stories, writing: "ICONIC. I literally don't know what to say this is fucking crazy. 3 and a half minute skit on SNL."

Some reactions to the skit across social media criticized SNL for being too harsh on Siwa, who is pivoting to a new creative image after being positioned as a bow-wearing child star for more than a decade. But with the exception of a few comedic liberties — like Fineman-as-Siwa responding to the question of how old she is with "Well, from 2011 to 2023, I was eight" — the skit echoed statements she's made herself.

Weekend Update anchor Colin Jost inquired about Siwa's claims that she invented the new music genre "Gay Pop" and wondered who exactly was referring to her transformation as "gutsy" and "brave," with the answer simply being herself. "But seriously though Colin, I've completely reinvented myself," the comedian boasted. "I mean, no one my age has done this."

Fineman first tapped into her inner Siwa in 2020 during the pandemic skit "MasterClass Quarantine Edition." In the sketch, she plays the bow-wearing version of the media personality as she offers lessons in making TikToks and puts on a weird semi-British accent for some reason.

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With the new skit, Siwa is getting exactly what she wanted. "As I got older, I really wanted to create stuff that was gonna make the world say, 'What the fuck?'" she shared at a listening party just before "Karma" was released in April. "And the fun thing is with 'Karma,' I wanted this first breakout adult moment to do that. I wanted this first adult breakout moment to make people's heads turn."

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