JoJo Siwa and Jessalynn Siwa. Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
JoJo Siwa’s mom, Jessalynn Siwa, thanked the former Dance Moms star for not leaving their family “high and dry” when she turned 18.
“My mom actually said something today to me that was really sweet,” Siwa, 20, said during her “Call Her Daddy” podcast appearance on Wednesday, April 10. “When you are a kid, 15 percent of every penny you make goes into a Coogan account [to protect children’s earnings]. My parents thought when I turned 18, I was gonna get my Coogan account money, take all of my money and have it all be mine.”
Instead of saying “good luck, everybody” to Jessalynn and her dad, Tom Siwa, the singer made it clear that wasn’t her plan.
“I was like, ‘I can give you so much reassurance, but I will never do that,’” JoJo shared. “That’s always been a fear of theirs, always has been. Just because the opportunity of me leaving them high and dry was right there. People have done it before. Child stars have done it before, but I would never do that to my family.”
Who’s at the top of the pyramid? JoJo Siwa, Maddie Ziegler and more stole the spotlight on Dance Moms — and their parents weren’t afraid to bring the drama. The Lifetime reality series premiered in 2011 and followed the Abby Lee Dance Company’s junior elite competition team as they rehearsed and performed rigorous new routines […]
She continued: “Today my mom was like, ‘I just want to say thank you for never basically kicking us to the curb. Thank you for buying us this new house. Thank you for letting us remodel it. Thank you for keeping us in your bubble.’”
During Wednesday’s podcast episode, JoJo revealed that it was moving day for her parents after she bought them a new house. After her mom’s words of thanks, JoJo joked, “Finally, two years later, you believe me.”
JoJo admitted that growing up in the house she bought with her parents was “interesting,” especially when one of the former reality star’s girlfriends moved in.
“As a 20-year-old, I look at a 16-year-old and I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, you are the age that my girlfriend was when she moved into my house,’” JoJo shared. “I don’t know how it happened.”
Dancing through life! Joelle Joanie “JoJo” Siwa became a reality star at 9 years old when she competed on the Dance Moms spinoff Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition during its second season in 2013. From there, the energetic personality has become a household name, conquering TV, music, merchandising and more — to much fan excitement. From a young age, the […]
Podcast host Alex Cooper wondered whether JoJo’s parents said anything about the cohabitation at such a young age.
“Looking back, all of us are like, ‘That should have never happened.’ My mom says all the time … I should have never allowed my 16-year-old’s partner to live with us. That was not healthy for you. Much less her and her family,” JoJo admitted. “Someone should have put their foot down. But no one at the time felt it was right to.”
Reflecting on her success at such a young age, JoJo said there was also ample opportunity for her family to “take advantage” of the money she made.
“They all had access to everything,” she said. “They all had a chance to take it and run, essentially. No one did.”
