JoJo Siwa Says ‘Dance Moms’ Was ‘Massive’ and ‘Detrimental’ to Her Career

JoJo Siwa says her experience on Dance Moms was a “detrimental” yet “massive” part of her career. 

On the Tuesday, May 7, episode of her JoJo Siwa Now podcast, Siwa, 20, recalled first joining the Lifetime series.

“Today, we are kind of going back to, not necessarily how it started for me and how I became a public human being, but something that I think really was detrimental to my career and was massive for me, which was Dance Moms,” she began at the beginning of the episode, noting how she just participated in the Dance Moms reunion.

“The Dance Moms reunion, you know, it was a mixed bag of bones for me, for sure,” she explained. Siwa reassured listeners that wasn’t the case for the original series.

Although Siwa said starring in Dance Moms was “detrimental” and “massive,” she did not give details on why. Instead, she credited the series as “the biggest blessing of [her] entire life.” 

“It is one of the things that I’m most grateful for,” said Siwa, adding, “Of course, there were hard days.” 

For Siwa, those “hard days” weren’t something she shied away from. She said on her podcast that the “love, blood and sweat” got her to where she is today. “It is a massive part of my career that I will always and forever be so freaking grateful for.”

Also during the installment, Siwa opened up about her decision to leave Dance Moms in season 6 after she signed a contract with Nickelodeon. She explained that although she loved her experience on the show and coach Abby Lee Miller, she was eager for another opportunity.

“It was tough, though, because I really enjoyed being a part of it,” said Siwa. “I loved it. I loved my friends. I didn’t think my friends would still be friends with me if I wasn’t on the show. I didn’t know how the world was gonna react. It was very tough because it was so real. It was all that I knew.”

She confessed that she and her mother Jessalynn debated the decision; however, she still believes that leaving the show was “the right choice.” 

“I’m very grateful that I ended Dance Moms the way that I did,” said Siwa. She shared that she received advice from a Dancing with the Stars cast member who said she and her mother should leave while they still loved it. 

“I could have been there longer, I should have been there longer, I wanted to be there longer,” said Siwa. “I think leaving Dance Moms while I still loved it was the best decision.” 

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Dance Moms: The Reunion is available to stream on Lifetime.