November 4, 2021
Watch: JoJo Siwa Tells Ellen it 'Feels Amazing' Being an LGBTQ+ Icon
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
JoJo Siwa appeared on "The Ellen Show" to talk about making history on "Dancing with the Stars" and her status as an LGBTQ+ icon, Entertainment Canada reported.
During her Nov. 4 appearance, Siwa – who came out as bisexual last January – fielded the question from Ellen DeGeneres about what it's like to be out and so famous at the tender age of 18.
Siwa said it was "wild," and pointed to Ellen and others from earlier generations, saying, "I look at people who are called gay icons – you, Lady Gaga, Freddie Mercury, my favorite people – and to be in that category at 18 is just insane. And just because of who I am, it feels amazing."
Siwa and Ellen also discussed the teen's history-making run on "Dancing with the Stars." Siwa's pairing with Jenna Johnson marks the first time in the show's 30 seasons that a same-sex couple has been featured, UK newspaper the Daily Mail noted.
Siwa explained her initial response when she was invited to appear on the show, saying, "I was like, 'Oh awesome...oh I'm gonna have to dance with a dude, that's gonna be weird.'" But then, the Daily Mail article reports, "after talking for a minute, there was an option to dance with a female," Siwa recounted. "And immediately, without thinking twice, I was like, 'This is what's right for me,'" Siwa added.
Johnson joined Siwa and Ellen, and spoke to her own initial misgivings. "I'm embarrassed to say that when I first found out I was dancing with a female, I was nervous about what the response was gonna be," Johnson confessed, "but I immediately said yes."
More generally, Siwa said, "I am so happy with the outcome of me coming out," adding that "The world has taken it so positively."
The youthful entertainer went on to speak to her enthusiasm about being a role model for LGBTQ+ youth, telling Ellen that, "It's impacted so many young kids in such a way that, hearing adults say, 'I wish I had someone like you when I was little,' that makes me know that the kids that are little have someone like me."
Watch a clip from Siwa's appearance on "The Ellen Show," below.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
