Yahoo Lifestyle "I Basically Got Blackballed From The Company": JoJo Siwa Opened Up About Her Working Relationship With Nickelodeon After She Came Out
Since coming out as queer in 2021, JoJo Siwa has been extremely open about her sexuality.
And in Demi Lovato's upcoming Hulu documentary Child Star, JoJo Siwa spoke candidly about the challenges she faced after coming out.
The doc, which will be Demi's directorial debut, focuses on the harsh realities of fame that many former child stars faced, consisting of interviews from talent like Drew Barrymore, Christina Ricci, and more, alongside JoJo.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, JoJo reveals that shortly after coming out publicly as queer, the president of Nickelodeon called her.
Though his name is not explicitly mentioned, Brian Robbins was president of Nickelodeon during that year.
“What are we going to tell the kids?” he asked her, and JoJo, who was 17 years old at the time, replied, “That I’m happy?”
"Well, you need to have a call with every retailer [that sells JoJo Siwa merch] and tell them that you’re not going crazy," she claims he told her. JoJo continued saying that she did what she was told and called retailers like Target, Claire's, and Walmart, but her relationship with Nickelodeon was never the same.
"I basically got blackballed from the company," she said.
JoJo, who is now 21, added that she cares a lot more about what people think about her now, and if that same experience happened today, she thinks she would've handled it totally differently. "If the president of my music label called me now and was like, 'Yo, what the fuck?' like the president of my network did then, I would lose my mind," she said. "Honestly, I’d be like, 'Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Yes, I’ll go back in the closet. Or I’ll delete it. I’ll say it was a prank. I’ll get a boyfriend.' But back then, I was like, 'I’m in love, and I’m happy. Shut up.'"
Demi Lovato, who identifies as queer and nonbinary, admitted this situation "would have run me back into the closet." "I knew my parents loved me, but coming out is a different type of acceptance, especially when you’ve grown up in a Christian household," they said.
When THR reached out to Nickelodeon for comment, a representative said, "We are unaware of the incident JoJo is referencing, and she was certainly not blackballed by Nickelodeon. We have valued and supported JoJo throughout our incredibly successful partnership, which included a JoJo-themed Pride collection at a major national retailer, among our many collaborations together. We continue to cheer her on and wish her nothing but the best."
Child Star debuts on Hulu Sept. 17.
