Joelle Joanie Siwa, known as Jojo Siwa — once a dazzling childhood icon, is now revealing the dark reality behind the glitter and glam. “WARNING: The following content is not made for children and may be disturbing or offensive,” Siwa posted on Instagram while teasing her new single “Karma”.
Jojo Siwa is a 21-year-old American dancer, singer, actress and influencer who began her career in 2013, when she was 10 years old. Siwa rose to fame as a finalist on “Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition” hosted by Abby Lee Miller, who also produced the popular show “Dance Moms,” which Siwa later joined. The sad reality behind this fame is that it was largely influenced by Jojo’s mother, Jessalynn Siwa. This is where the exploitation of Siwa first started. Since then, Siwa has gained popularity, all while this exploitation was happening behind the scenes.
Later in Siwa’s career, the decision was made to create a dance group called “XOMG”, through a competition series that brings viewers along to watch as Siwa and her mother form the future in the dance industry. Controversies around the group rose, as after the series ended, participants came forward with allegations of mistreatment and financial exploitation by the Siwas — although this time, Jojo was involved too.
Leigha Sanderson and her mother were a part of Siwa’s TV show. Sanderson claims they received little compensation, unpaid work and her education and health were undermined.
It seems that Siwa distracted people from the allegations by creating buzz around her “transformation” — a rebranding of her career in March 2024. She began to post more adult content. Siwa’s song and music video “Karma” were released on April 5. The song included lyrics which allegedly reference things that happened to her in the past.
“Her new songs are quite interesting and misleading especially when she says they are gonna be super inappropriate and end up having one bad word,” FHS freshman Noa Malca said.
The music video showcases graphic scenes as Siwa tries to move into an adult and mature image. However, following the release, Siwa faced extreme and overwhelming levels of hatred and negative criticism. Later, people concluded that Siwa allegedly “stole” the song itself.
“Nothing actually changed about her [or] her career,” Malca said.
The backlash from fans, critics and haters has been nonstop, making people start to question Siwa and her past.
“I don’t think her songs are high-quality music by any standards, however she definitely knows how to get rich off of people’s obvious opinions,” FHS sophomore Olivia McCarthy said. “She wanted a reason to stay relevant and the change in character is purely for fame and financial purposes.”
This song marked the beginning of her rebranding from bows and ponytails to dark outfits and a mature style. As more songs and music videos came out, it only raised controversy over Siwa.
