Have you ever heard the name Jojo Siwa? If the answer to that question is yes, then you either have kids or you’re very up on your pop culture. And if the answer is no, then you’re probably like most of the world. Either way, you’re doing just fine. For those who don’t know (or who need a refresher course,) here are the basic facts. Jojo Siwa is very popular with tweens. She got her start back in 2015 at the ripe old age of 12 as a regular on two seasons of the Lifetime show Dance Moms. After leaving the show, she did what most teens so, became a YouTube vlogger.
In addition to her very popular YouTube channel, she is also a singer, releasing an EP and several singles. Perhaps you’ve heard her song “High Top Shoes.” At 16-years-old, she is hustling like a late 20s millennial in terms of jobs. But she does it because the kids absolutely love her. With her brightly colored clothing, sparkles, and her ever present bow, how could they not? For those of us who may be out of the loop (because we’re old af now) there’s so much to learn about this dynamo. Here are 30 Jojo Siwa facts that you may not know.
She has a “mini me”
Yes, just like Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers movies, Jojo Siwa has a “mini me.” This pint size Jojo is actually named Ryatt Talbott. She’s the toddler daughter of Travis and Corey Talbott, also known as YouTubers Trav and Cor. Ryatt and Jojo actually spend a lot of time together (Jojo helps Ryatt’s parents run her Instagram page.) She is in Jojo’s music video for “My Story,” and teased on her Instagram account that they’ll have a video together out soon. Her Instagram account is full of her dressing up in little replicas of Jojo’s outfits, complete with bows, sparkles and even a stuffy Bow Bow the dog!
She has an older brother
That’s right, Jojo isn’t the only Siwa kid in the family. She has an older brother, Jayden Siwa. Jayden is also a vlogger (because duh) but his vlogs mostly focus on going on foodie adventures. On his vlog, “The Food Dude,” he travels and tries all different kinds of wacky foods. He’s a couple years older than Jojo, probably about 19, and based on his Instagram account, they’re very close. He clearly spends a lot of time with his little sister, a good amount of his feed features pictures of the two of them at her various appearances. He also seems to have a great relationship with his parents as well.
Her real name isn't JoJo
Jojo is a great name for a young celebrity. It's easy for kids to pronounce, and it's short enough to put on merchandise. So it makes sense that Joelle Joanie would shorten her name to JoJo (you can type it either way.) We know
She's not really a platinum blonde
Jojo Siwa is certainly known for her platinum blonde locks. But, if you look closer at her hair, her roots are quite dark. Jojo’s mom has been dyeing her hair a lighter shade of blonde for a few years. It’s not that her hair isn’t blonde, there are plenty of pictures on social media to prove she’s always been blonde. But sometimes as we grow older, our hair darkens. That’s likely what’s happening to Jojo. So to keep it the super pale we know her for, the only option is dye. There’s no way of knowing how often she does it, but it has to be often.
She says she can speak 3 different languages
How do you say “bow” is Spanish? Chances are, Jojo Siwa can tell you. Did you know she can speak Spanish, Korean, and Russian? Well she does, and it’s super impressive! In a YouTube video, she explains that she speaks “a little bit” of all three language. “I’m actually pretty good at Korean,” she states. And she’s not kidding. She demonstrates her super awesome Korean skills by saying “Hello, my name is Jojo, I want food.” It sounds pretty spot on. Surely, her language speaking skills will certainly come in handy as she continues to become more popular. We see global domination in her future!
She struggles with sleeping enough
You wouldn’t think that you have a ton in common with a 16-year-old celebrity, but Jojo Siwa can be relatable to adults too. Since she’s constantly busy creating YouTube videos, traveling and working, she doesn’t get enough sleep. Back in June 2019, she told Seventeen, "My biggest challenge [on tour] is probably the lack of sleep, that can be troubling, but I’m fine. I don’t need to run on much sleep." Touring seems like it’s exhausting, constant traveling, changing time zones, and doing shows back to back is a lot. Hopefully she finds time to get some good rest breaks.
She does not like American Food
Like a lot of kids, Jojo Siwa is a picky eater. The biggest difference between her and your three year old who only eats chicken nuggets? She doesn’t like stereotypical kid foods, or foods that seem inherently “American.” She admits to not liking things like hamburgers and hot dogs (what does she eat at a BBQ then?) Apparently, she likes steak, but “only certain kinds of steak.” Which isn’t a total surprise, as steak isn’t always something you like until you’re older. She also says she doesn’t like tacos, which just seems mind blowing. Sure, not liking hot dogs may seem strange, but not liking tacos? Unreal.
Her favorite foods are not typical kid favorites
Interestingly, her palate is certainly different. She loves salmon, which is very healthy, and she also enjoys eating salads. While she’s certainly not an anomaly, there aren’t a ton of teenagers out there who will willingly eat a salad. Salmon is a surprising choice because well, it’s kind of “fancy.” There are definitely not too many teenagers who will say they love salmon. But even though she says her favorite foods are salmon and salad, she also says that she loves pizza rolls, pizza sticks, and cup noodles (Cup O’ Noodles.) So maybe she’s more typical than she lets on!
She has other obsessions beside just bows
We all know how much Jojo likes bows, it’s not like it’s a secret. But! There are other things she loves just as much (but definitely not more) onesies and backpacks. She frequently posts pictures and videos of herself rocking a onesie. And who can blame her? Onesies are super comfortable! And they’re super easy, until you have to go to the bathroom, but it’s totally worth it. And backpacks are just a practical obsession to have.Not only are they totally cute, they’re actually back in fashion. If you’re wearing a onesie without pockets, throw everything in your backpack!
She used to play softball
Not only can she sing, and dance, but Jojo Siwa is also an athlete! That’s right, she used to play softball, and she considers herself the best catcher on her team. One of her stage costumes is actually a baseball uniform. She can’t wear it to play — it’s covered in sparkles and rhinestones and would likely blind someone. But she had to quit her team sadly. She says that she quit because the pitcher on the team threw hard and broker her pinky finger. And she also apparently didn’t tell her mom about her broken pinky, she just taped it to a popsicle stick every night!
That pinky finger broke again
Clearly she doesn’t have much luck when it comes to her pinky finger! After the softball incident (no telling how long after, she didn’t share) she ended up compromising her pinky again. She was at a place called Defying Gravity playing dodgeball. That’s when a very large guy, who she describes as a “sumo wrestler” type in size threw the ball to try and strike her out. She caught the ball (she is a catcher!) but the force bent her pinky back. Again, she didn’t tell her mom the truth (she said it got stuck in a car door) and used her trusty popsicle stick method again.
She's worn flip flops only once
And she “hates” them! That’s right, Jojo Siwa hates flip flops. According to her story, she wore them once to school and had to take them off. Flip flops are certainly not for everyone, but her reaction to how much she hates them is strong. She was so uncomfortable, her mom had to bring her sneakers (which we know she loves, she has a song called “High Top Shoes!”) In the rare occurrence she does wear flip flops, she has to decorate them with things like tulle and bows. But most of the time, she just “can’t wear flip flops!”
She got to “babysit” North West
Like many other little girls, North West (daughter of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West) is a big fan of Jojo Siwa. After Kim’s posts on Twitter and Instagram about how much her little girl loves Jojo, Siwa reached out. Jojo was just as excited about North being a fan and offered to spend time with the kiddo. So, they arranged for Jojo to “babysit” North and naturally turned it into a YouTube video. It’s obvious they had a great time together and North really idolizes Jojo. North West, and her cousin Penelope Disick (Kourtney’s daughter) got to be guests at Jojo’s blowout 16th birthday.
She’s a big fan of Freddie Mercury
It seems unlikely that a 16 year-old girl would be a fan of the Queen frontman. But it actually makes a lot of sense. Freddie Mercury was nothing if not over the top. And that’s pretty much Jojo Siwa’s entire MO. Plus, music knows no age, so why couldn’t she be a fan of Mercury’s? She’s paying homage to Mercury constantly in her stage shows — she carries a microphone with half stand like he did. And she wears a version of the jacket he wore at Wembley Stadium in 1986, albeit more sparkly. Many fans of Mercury are kind of mean about her love, but I think Freddie would be tickled by Jojo.
She’s also a big fan of Elton John
Again, this may come as a surprise, but it shouldn’t. If Jojo Siwa is a fan of Freddie Mercury, of course she’s also a fan of Elton John. Honestly, in terms of flamboyance and glitter, the only person who could rival Elton John is Jojo Siwa. One could bet that if Jojo and Elton were contemporaries, they would likely have collaborated. Or at very least, they would be swapping costumes. On her current D.R.E.A.M. Tour, Siwa wears a replica of the LA Dodgers uniform/costume Elton John wore back in the 70s. And yes, it’s just as sparkly. Elton John even recorded a special happy birthday message for Siwa.
Her D.R.E.A.M. Tour sold out quickly
Jojo Siwa is currently in the middle of her first nationwide tour (as of July 2019.) The D.R.E.A.M. Tour, named after her first EP and single D.R.E.A.M. spans the entire summer of 2019. The initial 24 dates sold out so quickly, her team had to add another leg to the tour. Another 28 dates were added, bringing the tour to a total of 52 dates across the country. The second leg kicks off in Orlando, Florida before stopping in places like Philly, Boston, Las Vegas and Anaheim before ending in Vancouver. Siwa also recently announced the tour is heading to the UK this winter.
She likes to give back
In May 2018, Jojo went to visit her former Dance Moms coach, Abby Lee Miller in the hospital. Miller was undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the time. Siwa of course, made a vlog about spending time with Miller in the hospital. During their visit, she presented Miller with a check for $10,000 from the charity Dancers Against Cancer. She has also spent time with kids in hospitals. In April 2019, she shared pictures on Instagram of her visit to Nebraska Medicine and Children’s Omaha. She visited with the kids there, giving them a healthy dose of her trademark positive energy.
She really loves bows
Even if you know nothing else about Jojo Siwa, you probably know about the bow thing. Part of her trademark look is an oversized bow. Usually they feature bright colors and/or rhinestones and glitter. Some may argue that they’re a bit infantilizing for a 16-year-old girl. At this point, Siwa has over 1,000 bows. It’s hard to know if she ever wears the same bow twice, but probably not. She has created a line of bows, sold at places like Claire’s and Target. They caused such an uproar that they were banned in schools in the UK — school officials were claiming poor kids were being shamed for not owning any bows.
She’s tall
People may not realize it because she’s mostly standing next to kids, but Jojo Siwa is legitimately tall. The teen stands 5’9”, which is actually quite tall for a girl. And since she’s only 16, there’s a chance she could still grow a little more. For some reason, people are really shook by the idea that she is so tall, even though there are plenty of women who are 5’9”. Siwa explains in a YouTube video that she isn’t phased by her height, because she’s she’s just always been that tall. But it seemed like the internet would never recover.
She’s a gay icon
Of course she is! She is the most extra, unapologetically herself person. And the LGBTQ+ community definitely attaches itself to people with that kind of energy. Don’t forget, two of her biggest inspirations are gay men! She is a favorite of drag queens, which again of course she is. Her flashy, over-the-top style of dressing is perfect for drag. Plus, she loves sparkles and rainbows, which is pretty gay. During a taping of AOL Build, drag queens Izzy Uncut and Poppy, dressed as Siwa, asked her how she feels about being a gay icon. “I love it!” she said enthusiastically.
She has a ridiculous nickname
Jojo Siwa’s nickname is “Jojo with the big bow.” Yes, that is seriously her nickname. Sure, it is one of the most literal nicknames ever, but still. Do people actually call her that? It’s not the most original nickname. But alas, it is what it is. Jojo Siwa’s bows are an integral part of her entire persona, so it makes sense to make it apart of her nickname. Trying to picture her without one of her signature bows is kind of like trying to picture the Sphinx with a nose. It just feels like something is off. So “Jojo with the big bow” it is!
Dancing is in her genes
For those few people in the world who may not know it, Jojo Siwa got her start on the show Dance Moms. At the tender age of 10, she competed on the second season of Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition, placing in the top five. In 2015, at the age of 12, she was selected for Abby Lee Miller’s dance competition team. Siwa is actually a really good dancer, even before her time with Miller. And why is that? Well, Jojo’s mom, Jessalynn Siwa, is a trained dance instructor herself. So there’s no doubt of Jojo picking up her sweet dance moves from her momma at a very young age.
She always rocks a side ponytail
Aside from her bows, Jojo Siwa’s most recognizable for her incredibly slick side ponytail. Of course she wears a side ponytail, how else would she be able to show off the bow? Her ponytail is immaculate, it has no lumps, bumps or wonky bits. Siwa has posted several tutorials on YouTube on how to achieve her signature ponytail (hint, it involves a lot of hairspray.) Watching one of the video tutorials may make you cringe, simply because of how tight her pony is. She generally uses three hair elastics. When asked if she’d wear her hair down for a million dollars, she said that she’d never give up her ponytail.
She has her own snacks
When you’re as popular with kids as Jojo Siwa is, you’re going to make a lot of things to appeal to them. She has a lot of typical merch that appeals to kids. Besides her bows, she has dolls, clothing, and even bedding. But did you know that she also has a lunch snack package? That’s right, Jojo’s face is on something called “Lunch Kitz,” which is basically life a lunchable. But it’s just a bunch of side snacks, so you still have to give your kid lunch. The Lunch Kitz feature peeled apple slices, animal crackers, and fruit snacks. You can likely find them at your local Walmart.
She’s in a partnership with Nickelodeon
In addition to her YouTube channel, Siwa has a bunch of other ventures as we know. Back in 2017, she signed an overall talent deal with Nickelodeon. Basically, it means that they work with her on things like her merchandising, her music (including her tour) and social media. For example, her aforementioned Lunch Kitz are made by Nickelodeon and distributed by Walmart. Jojo’s relationship with the orange network runs deep — she’s won two Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, and has appeared on several of their shows in the last few years. She even hosts Lip Synch Battle Shorties on the network with Nick Cannon.
She frequently collabs with other YouTubers
Aside from collaborating with YouTubers Trav and Cor (mom and dad of Mini Jojo Siwa), she has relationships with other YouTube personalities too. One of them is Colleen Ballinger, the singer and actress who you may know better as Miranda Sings. She’s also done collabs with Rachel Ballinger, and Kyler and Mad. "I love all them so much. It’s always fun when we’re together, because we’re just like family," she told Seventeen. Her love for her YouTube vlogger community even extends to controversial vlogger Jake Paul. They’ve collaborated several times on different YouTube challenge videos, even dressing as each other for Halloween.
She has a cute dog
Her little puppy is appropriately named Bow Bow Siwa. Bow Bow goes on all kinds of adventures with her constant companion Jojo. She’s a teacup Yorkie, which means she’s super cute, tiny (she only weighed a pound when Jojo got her!) and portable. The tiny pup is frequently a feature on Jojo’s social media feeds, as well as her YouTube channel. And of course, Bow Bow Siwa has an Instagram page of her own. With over a million followers, Bow Bow is an icon in her own right. You can even get a plush version of Bow Bow to have for snuggles and cuddles.
She and Bow Bow have a show
Because Jojo and Bow Bow Siwa are clearly a pair of icons, it should come as no surprise they have a show! The Jojo and Bow Bow Show Show is a web cartoon on Nickelodeon’s YouTube channel. Jojo is the voice of herself, and even Bow Bow gets the chance to talk! There are six episodes of the show. Jojo and Bow Bow get into all sorts of adventures, including when Bow Bow has to take the stage for an injured Jojo, they end up on a “crazy” flight, and they do some fun DIY projects. Each episode is about six minutes long.
Her fans have their own nickname
Every good pop culture icon nowadays has a loyal legion of fans. And of course, those fans have to have a cutesy nickname. It makes it easier to distinguish who they’re pledging their allegiance to. Taylor Swift has Swifties, Justin Beiber has the Belibers, BTS has the BTS Army. And Jojo Siwa has the Siwanatorz. Her very own incredibly large group of fans who lift her up and pledge their undying love. Siwanatorz are mostly kids between the ages of 5 and 13, many of whom idolize Jojo for her positivity, her unapologetic fashion sense and her flamboyance. And that’s the same reason their parents idolize her too.
She has a “receding” hairline
If you look at older pictures of Jojo Siwa, comparing them to newer one, it does look like her hairline is changing. A lot of people comment about her “receding” hairline on social media constantly. There are likely a few factors contributing to the change in her hairline. Firstly, there’s a rumor that she actually dyes her hair to be platinum blonde. Constant bleaching will certainly damage their hairline. Additionally, she’s constantly wearing her hair in an extremely tight ponytail. Pulling their hair that tight can cause damage, especially pairing it with the amount of hairspray she uses. Whatever the reason, she doesn’t seem to be phased by it.
Her mom got into beef with Justin Beiber
We all know that Justin Beiber can be a bit of a jerk. So it doesn’t come as a total shock that Jessalynn Siwa had to come for the Beibs. Here’s the tea on what happened. Jojo’s parents got her a tricked out BMW convertible for Christmas. The company who detailed the car regrammed it, and that’s where Beiber comes in. He commented three times on the picture: “Burn it.” “Burn.” “It.” Really dude? So momma bear Jessalynn replied, saying “@justinbieber [crying laughing emoji] burn your own things.” He followed it up with a tweet saying that it wasn’t personal, he just hated the car. Literally no one asked for your opinion Beibs.
Yes, she has a car with her face on it
Listen, we know that celebrities are...weird. But let’s not forget that Jojo Siwa is also a teenage girl. For Christmas 2018, her parents gave her a brand spanking new BMW convertible. And because it’s Jojo Siwa, they had to trick it out the only way they could. Complete with bright colors and sparkles, it’s a bit much. But look who it’s for, of course it’s the most extra car you can find. This is a girl who wears her own merchandise, a car is literally just the next step. Now that she’s 16, we wonder if she’s actually going to drive it, or if it’s just for show.
She has a ton of merch
You can’t go into the kid’s section of any large retailer without finding some kind of Jojo Siwa merchandise. The three main retailers carrying her stuff? Claire’s, Walmart, and Target. Claire’s sells her bow collection, among other things. You can also get accessories like backpacks and throw pillows. There was a makeup kit, but it was recalled due to asbestos in it (not the first time for Claire’s.) Target also carries bows, but also dolls. Walmart is probably the other biggest retailer of Jojo merch — they sell most of her Nickelodeon branded stuff, including her Lunch Kitz, clothing, dolls and lunch boxes.
She has bedding too
As if the tee shirts, dolls and bows weren’t enough, kids can get Jojo Siwa bedding. The bedding line is sold through major retailers including Target, Walmart, JCPenney, and Bed, Bath & Beyond. You can even get them through Amazon. Featuring her signature bright colors, you can even get pillows with Jojo and Bow Bow on them. They even say things like, “Dream crazy big,” and “Bows make everything better.” Additionally, there are bow shaped pillows and plush throw blankets. Jojo posted a picture of her room full of her bedding, and we have to wonder if she actually sleeps on a pillow with her face on it, or if it was just for show.
She’s from Nebraska
There aren’t too many things that come from Nebraska, and none of them are quite as big as Jojo Siwa. But she was born in the state’s capital, Omaha. Her family lived there until her career began to take off and they moved to Los Angeles to better facilitate her needs. Her dad Tom, was a chiropractor, and her mom was a dance instructor. It seems that she’s very proud of where she comes from. On the first episode of The Jojo and Bow Bow Show Show she talks about performing a big hometown show and shares some facts about her home state.
She’s an award winner
No, there aren’t yet any major YouTuber awards, but if there were, we know who’d win. Actually, Jojo is the recipient of not one, but two Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards. Kids are certainly her target audience, and they certainly love her. Not only has she been a performer on the show (she’s even been slimed!), she’s got two orange blimps to show for all her hard work. In 2017, she won the award for Favorite Viral Music Artist. Then in 2018, she won Favorite Musical YouTube Creator. It proves how popular she is for sure! Maybe she’ll win again next year too for her tour.
She has several books
Seriously, how does this kid find the time for all of this? In addition to her vlogging, music making, and touring, she’s also an author. There are eight Jojo Siwa books on Amazon. JoJo’s Guide to the Sweet Life: #PeaceOutHaterz is a bestseller that is kind of like a self-help book for the tween set. In the book, she tells her story of becoming a popular artist by way of her spunky, positive attitude. And her and Bow Bow have a series of several picture books about all the adventures they go on. Bow Bow even has her own “day in the life” book! Additionally, she has a DIY book, and a fill in the blank friendship book.
She has over 9 million followers
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly how to classify Jojo Siwa. Is she a singer? A dancer? A vlogger? All of the above? She certainly has her hands in a lot of pots. Did you know she actually has two YouTube channels? And they’re both constantly putting out content? Her main page, “It’s JoJo Siwa,” has over 9 million followers. Over on her Instagram, she has over 8 million followers. It’s safe to say that she’s pretty popular. Of all the Dance Mom alums, she is arguably the most universally visible. If you’ve ever seen her in action, it’s easy to understand her appeal to kids.
She’s overwhelmingly positive
Her spirit is one of the things that make her likeable to parents. You feel okay with your kids listening to her music or watching her shows because she’s largely wholesome. Sure, she’s loud, and talks really fast and the colors hurt your eyes. But when it comes to being a positive role model for young kids, she’s it. Her song “Boomerang” is all about bullying. Her song “#1U” tells kids that being who they are is cool. “The way you are is real, so go with how you feel,” is one of the verses. She also preaches “believing-ness,” another positive affirmation. Kids need that.
She makes bank
Okay, so there are no hard numbers on just how much Jojo is worth. But the estimates put her in a pretty high tax bracket. It makes sense, given how much she always has going on. Her D.R.E.A.M. Tour sold out 52 cities, so between ticket and merchandise sales, that’s a good amount of money. Then there’s her deal with Nickelodeon, which keeps her plenty busy between TV appearances and music. Plus there’s all the other merchandise. Those Jojo bows aren’t cheap folks. And no one really knows how much money YouTubers make from ads and sponsored content. Her net worth could be anywhere between 8 and 12 million.
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