‘I was the most hated on that show’: ‘Dance Moms’ star JoJo Siwa reflects on spending her childhood in the eye of the reality TV storm

JoJo Siwa has been in the spotlight since childhood, rising to fame with the reality TV show Dance Moms. She is no stranger to criticism, and her career choices, including her recent songs and choreography, have faced backlash, but even as a child, she had to deal with unwanted attention.

In a recent interview with LADYGUNN, Siwa described herself as the “most hated on that show.” Thankfully, her mom, Jessalynn Siwa, supported her in facing these challenges and dealing with the pressure. “My mom was like, nobody can take away what you did,” she said of her mother’s attitude to the backlash. “Sure, people are commenting we want JoJo to go home, but people are commenting, we want JoJo. You know what I mean?”

When you rewatch scenes from Dance Moms as an adult, you realize just how problematic the show really was. Abby Lee Miller‘s harsh criticism of her students and the way she pitted them against each other make the blood boil. Surviving the show already proves how strong Siwa is, and dealing with criticism is something the “Karma” singer does exceptionally well.

She is aware that her chosen career path thrust her into the limelight, and with the attention came the unwanted side of fame. But Siwa is happy if her name is in your mouth, regardless of how you feel about her!

JoJo Siwa wants your attention

“I learned at a very young age that in the public eye, any attention is attention … whether it be good attention or just attention,” she shared. “I just signed with new management, and they’re great, amazing people. They were like, alright, we got to get people to rally around you and really start to like you. And I was like, oh no, that’s not the point.”

She has done things to give us secondhand embarrassment, and the cringe of some of her posts is real. But Siwa has also proven herself a force to be reckoned with, and her over-the-top personality has endeared her to many (it’s also created a lot of haters, but she has thick enough skin for this not to bother her).

“It’s funny because now I’m in a place in my career where I’m in that same phase before I put the hair down,” she said about her childhood image with high ponytails and bows. “It is a fun game not to reveal its secrets and the secret sauce. It’s like you love [Raising] Cane’s sauce, but you don’t fully know what’s in it.”