JoJo Siwa has spoken out about the “horrific” comments a dance video she posted online has received.
The former Dance Moms star has forayed into music and has faced online criticism for her provocative content, which includes her music videos, performances and outfits.
During an appearance on the Talk Tuah with Haliey Welch podcast, Siwa opened up about the kind of hate comments she’s received online—and she isn’t happy. She specifically brought out the two videos—which were shot from two different angles—that she posted to TikTok featuring her dancing to the song, “It’s ok, I’m ok” by singer Tate McRae.
Newsweek emailed a spokesperson for Siwa for further comment on Wednesday.
JoJo Siwa attends the 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards at The Beverly Hilton on March 14, 2024, in Beverly Hills, California. She has opened up about hurtful comments she has received online.
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
“I posted this dance video two days ago and it blew up and people loved it. And it did really good and people were very supportive of it and, it’s kind of rare in my career these days, so I was like ‘Wow,'” Siwa told Welch.
“[I] posted it from a different angle—same video from a different angle—horrific comments. Like, I privated the video ’cause I was like, ‘This is so stupid I’m not letting them float.'”
The dancer then went on to read some of the nice comments the first video received. These included: “I don’t think everyone realizes that the cringe part was just a marketing tactic before, she’s fire,” “This is the JoJo we asked for,” “This is the JoJo we like to see” and “JoJo ate moment, sorry but this ate, don’t lie y’all.”
“Ate” is a slang term used to show admiration or praise for someone who has done a good job at something.
Siwa continued: “I posted the same exact video, different angle, top three comments … I don’t know if this is somebody trying to be offensive or funny but it’s definitely offensive and not funny at all but: ‘Hey, I have autism too and it’s nice to see people spreading awareness of people with our condition. Sending hugs.’ And they’re saying that in, like, a dick tone, not in, like, a funny tone, you know what I mean?”
“Or in like a like, actual like, if someone was to say like, ‘Hey I think it’s cool that you’re spreading dyslexia,’ f*** yeah I have dyslexia, you know what I mean?”
But the other hateful comments she read out included, “The spider on my floor at 3:00 a.m.,” “This was shown to me against my will,” “I would probably also scream, not because I liked it,” and “The floor is a victim.”
Siwa reiterated that the video that was receiving the mean comments was the same video as the one receiving the positive comments, just from a different angle.
She added: “That makes no sense, it made no sense.”
Siwa also spoke about all of the hate she’s been receiving about her new image at the iHeartRadio Music Awards on April 1.
“People are afraid of things they don’t know,” Siwa told E! News. “Things can be scary for people. New things can be very, very scary.”
Siwa and Welch have something in common: they have both been dealing with online hate.
Welch became an online hit after she was asked a question in the street about her sex life by Tim & Dee TV—two YouTube creators who conduct street interviews. The video was uploaded to YouTube, with Welch going viral for using the onomatopoeia “hawk tuah” to describe the intimate act that makes “a man go crazy in bed.”
While some people have embraced the meme that made Welch an online star, others have criticized her for making the most of her internet fame.
