The Truth Behind JoJo Siwa's Untraditional Pairing on 'DWTS'
Published Oct. 13 2021, 1:13 p.m. ET
Season 30 of Dancing With the Stars is making history in many ways. For one, it was filmed during a global pandemic, in which several COVID-19 restrictions needed to be observed, and one couple even had to participate virtually after testing positive for COVID-19.
What's more, JoJo Siwa is the first contestant to dance in a same-sex couple. The Dance Moms alum is dancing with a woman in Season 30 of DWTS, and fans and the judges alike are in full support of the history-making couple. Plus, with JoJo’s talent and infectious presence, she and her partner, Jenna Johnson, are favorites to win.
People are wondering why JoJo Siwa is dancing with a woman on ‘DWTS.’
When the pairing was first announced, people had mixed feelings about JoJo dancing with a woman on Dancing With the Stars. Some more traditional viewers of the show couldn’t help but ask why JoJo had a female dancing partner.
On the other hand, a lot of fans were really proud of JoJo, and extremely supportive. And as Dancing With the Stars Season 30 continues on, we’re constantly amazed at how JoJo and Jenna adapt a typically male-female dancing style to work for two women. They’re both so flexible in what they can do on the dance floor that their pairing honestly makes for must-watch television.
JoJo Siwa told ‘DWTS’ producers that she felt more comfortable dancing "with a girl."
Earlier this year, JoJo came out as part of the LGBTQ+ community when she revealed her relationship with girlfriend Kylie Prew. But when People asked JoJo how she’d label her sexuality, she joked, “I say that I'm Ky-sexual.”
“I always just say gay because it just kind of covers it or queer because I think the keyword is cool," she explained. "Technically, I would say that I am pansexual because that's how I have always been my whole life is just like, my human is my human.”
So when it came time for her to join the competition of Dancing With the Stars, producers asked JoJo who she’d prefer to dance with.
“They asked, would I be more comfortable with a female or with a male,” she shared to People. “And immediately I knew for myself I would be way more comfortable with a girl. I have a chance right now to make history and to break down a barrier and there's nothing that I would rather do than that.”
As far as JoJo’s partner, Jenna Johnson? She’s just as thrilled as JoJo to take this giant “leap” forward.
In an interview with Parade, Jenna revealed, “I wasn’t nervous going out onto the floor. I was just more nervous about the fact that it is so different and so new for our audience, for us, for me, for her. So, I just wanted to do exactly what we had practiced because we had nailed it and we felt so confident in our dance.”
Both Jenna and JoJo had to learn some modifications and figure out who would lead each week, but their pairing is not only a grand jeté forward for Dancing With the Stars, it's huge progress for the ballroom dance genre in general.
Tune in to DWTS Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.