JoJo Siwa Sets The Record Straight On ‘Emotional Abuse’ During ‘Dance Moms’

JoJo Siwa may be the self-proclaimed “CEO of gay pop,” but in a powerful new interview on “We Need To Talk,” the entertainer opened up about a side of her life that fans rarely see.

When it comes to her experience on “Dance Moms,” JoJo Siwa wanted to set the record straight as she opened up about the emotional toll of growing up on camera, while clarifying that she doesn’t view her time on the show as abusive.

“To me, that’s whose opinion I needed and valued,” Siwa told Paul C. Brunson of her mom Jessalynn. “That’s something I struggle with now that I’m older, you know, not needing people’s approval because I still don’t need the world, but I do still look to my mom and my partner.”

Siwa became a household name thanks to her larger-than-life bows, bold personality, and fierce determination on the hit reality show. But she admits that the environment on “Dance Moms” was far from healthy, especially for young, impressionable girls.

“It was sink or swim,” she explained. “A very wild, not normal, such unique environment that you cannot recreate.”

Looking back, JoJo said she never considered herself “emotionally abused” by coach Abby Lee Miller. Instead, she recognized early on how the show’s high-stress dynamic worked behind the scenes.

“I would know A. we’re filming a TV show, B. Abby just came out this heated argument with producers that no one’s going to see and she’s taking it out on me, all good, you know what I mean?” she said. “Sure, I can be the punching bag for 20 minutes.”

But not everyone could compartmentalize the way she did.

“A lot of people have different sensitivities. That’s something I had zero sympathy for five years ago, and I got checked online. People said, ‘Hey, everyone’s experience was different.’ And they were so right.”

JoJo admitted that some of the deepest wounds didn’t come from the adults on set but from the other girls.

“You can watch my confidence drop throughout the seasons,” she said. “That confidence drop was by the people who were on my same level, that was by my friends, that was due to all putting on the same outfit and saying ‘Oo Jojo your hip looks crazy’.”

One moment in particular still haunts her.

Recounting a memory of being left out during a hotel hangout, Siwa described how one girl refused to give her ice cream because she wouldn’t leave the room to go downstairs, as her mom instructed.

JoJo explained that there were seven of them, but she brought back six ice creams, and she handed one to everyone and walked past Siwa. “That’s the stuff that sticks with me for life.”

She also revealed that her long-standing insecurity about her singing voice stems from her time on the show. “I was told by some of the other girls that I couldn’t sing with them because I wasn’t a good enough singer,” she explained. “Still to this day, I leave every recording session crying. I won’t do singing lessons because it makes me feel like that.”