YouTuber and former Dance Moms star JoJo Siwa came out on January 22 — but while the internet was busy celebrating her announcement, Siwa herself was dealing with a frightening swatting situation.
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JoJo Siwa is one of the biggest influencers among young people; boasting over 12 million subscribers on YouTube, Siwa has become a veritable icon for kids due to her bubbly personality, positive messages, high-energy pop songs, and rainbow-studded outfits.
However, it wasn’t her style that took over the net on January 22 — instead, it was her official “coming out” announcement, which she had previously teased by uploading a TikTok of herself lip syncing to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.”
JoJo confirmed what many fans had suspected by uploading a photo of herself wearing a shirt she’d been given by her cousin, which boasted lettering that read “Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever.”
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Needless to say, the internet went wild with excitement over Siwa’s announcement — but it seems that the weekend went in an entirely different direction for Siwa, herself.
According to the YouTuber, police had been called to her home in a classic case of “swatting” in wake of her big reveal, leading to a terrifying moment during what should have been a celebratory time for the singer.
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“Our house got swatted,” she explained during an Instagram Live stream. “We were at our house and all of the sudden, there were a whole bunch of police telling us to come outside the house. And we didn’t know why. …The police were saying that somebody had called and made a claim, and then all of the sudden, paparazzi came around the corner.”
Siwa seemed to claim that the swatting had been carried out due to a call from paparazzi, who may have hoped to be the first to snap some photos of the star after her announcement.
While this claim has yet to be confirmed, it’s obvious that swatting is never okay under any circumstances. Swatting refers to prank calls that aim to send a number of armed police offers to a person’s home address, usually with allegations that the target is breaking the law or endangering others.
While it was no doubt a traumatizing experience for Siwa, she’s maintaining a positive attitude and hopes the caller will face consequences for their actions.
The star also revealed she’d filmed the whole ordeal and will upload the video to her YouTube channel sometime in the near future.