[jwplayer h3XPfMqQ]Social media star and pop icon JoJo Siwa is known for her colorful attire, bright bows, and beaming personality — but even the net’s most positive influencer faces intense harassment both on and offline.
17-year-old JoJo Siwa is no stranger to criticism, with the diamond-studded star facing backlash over her over-the-top appearance, high ponytail, and history in reality TV throughout her wildly successful career.
However, Siwa has most recently come under fire for her “NONSTOP” music video in which a dancer was painted and dressed like a monkey to fit with the video’s circus theme — which some critics claimed was outright “blackface.”
After hitting back at these comments in a pointed Instagram post, the former Dance Moms star revealed that the hate isn’t always limited to the online world, admitting that trolls will sometimes even show up to her home to yell rude comments in person.
“I’ve heard everything under the sun about me,” she explained in a June 30 interview with NBC Nightly News: Kids Edition. “I’ve heard my hairline, I’ve heard I’m a baby, I’ve heard I’m a giant toddler, I’ve heard I’m a brat, I’ve heard I’m fat.”
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“I try to respond with comedy,” she continued. “People will drive by the house actually and shout out very mean things. And I always come up with the funniest comebacks. …It can be hard. It hurts, but as a person, you want people to be nice — and you’re never, ever gonna please everybody.”
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Although JoJo’s story comes as a shock, she isn’t the only top star to have been met with uncomfortable situations in real life due to her online status; even TikTok star Bryce Hall revealed that the Sway House crew had to move, after their address leaked online and fans came in droves to their home for a chance of meeting the boys.
With the current online culture in a midst of a great “spring cleaning” of sorts, it seems like influencers are facing backlash left and right — but Siwa isn’t letting the hate bring her down, deciding to transform anger into laughter.