Jojo Siwa is now 19 years old and this internet and reality star has amassed a fortune estimated to be near $20 million dollars.
Maybe you’ve heard of her, maybe you haven’t. You can bet, though, that your children have. Her name is JoJo Siwa and she has gone from an annoying TV reality star at a very young age to one of the most popular YouTube and Nickelodeon sensations in recent memory. She has her own line of hair bows, a doll brand, a beverage, a clothing line, and her own line of slime. If this sounds like a lot for one person, it is. And it’s even more amazing considering her age.
JOJO MAKES GAINED FAME ON DANCE MOMS AND TURNED IT INTO A YOUTUBE CHANNEL
JoJo Siwa was born in Omaha, Nebraska to a lifestyle that is miles away from where she now sits. Her father Tom was a chiropractor (still is) and her mom, Jessalyn, was a dance-studio owner. By the time JoJo was two years old, the die was cast.
“When my husband would come pick her up at the [dance] studio, she would not want to leave at night,” Jessalyn recalls to Rolling Stone. “She was two years old; couldn’t even dance or do anything. She was like, ‘I just want to stay with you.’”
Jessalyn also recalled JoJo’s first solo dance competition, dancing to the song “Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now,” from the musical Hairspray. While Jessalyn sprinkled glitter on her dancing daughter, Jojo wore a diaper. She was only two years old. “From then, I literally ran with it,” Jessalyn says proudly. “We had a CD player in our kitchen, so I would always be making mac and cheese, and [say], ‘Oh, let’s do a dance.’ And she would just do her dance.” Her dancing became so beloved that guests would request to see it. “I would literally wake her up [at night] and she would do her dance,” Jessalyn recalled.
This early drive turned into an eventual opportunity. Jessalyn saw this opportunity in an open call for the reality show, Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition. It was an elimination-style show that had kids fighting for a spot in Abby Lee Miller’s dance company. Miller was also the creator of the reality series Dance Moms.
The audition tape Jessalyn sent in impressed the show’s producers enough to bring JoJo into the competition. It wasn’t only her dancing that got her noticed, but her personality as well.
“She was one of those rare personalities that I couldn’t stop thinking about,” said the series’ executive producer Bryan Stinson. Ultimately, though, JoJo Siwa would be eliminated and finish in fifth place.
But still, her presence had been felt. “During shooting, the crew would gather in the control room to watch JoJo’s interviews live because they were so compelling,” Stinson recalled. “Producers nicknamed them ‘The JoJo Show’.”
Despite coming in a disappointing fifth place, JoJo and Jessalyn were asked to be part of the Dance Moms series. It was a move that put even more of a spotlight on both mother and daughter, and not for good reasons.
JoJo Siwa was the ultimate diva and Jessalyn was the ultimate dance mom. Miller was not pleased with either, chastising the pair for their unprofessionalism and for how they constantly crossed the line with their comments directed towards Miller, the other dance moms, and the girls in the competition.
All this negativity fit perfectly with what was to come next for JoJo Siwa – a redemption tale. JoJo’s redemption came via YouTube and it is something she has not looked back from since. JoJo launched her YouTube channel during her two-year run on the reality shows and since that time, she has earned over 12 million subscribers. That is just the tip of the iceberg.
JOJO SIWA IS 20 YEARS OLD
JoJo Siwa was born on May 19, 2003, and is now 20 years old. She is in full control of her image and business with some help along the way. Things really began to jump for JoJo when she and Jessalyn met Caryn Sterling, who is now JoJo’s manager.
When they first met, Sterling was pushing jewelry her daughter had made and was looking for dancers to help promote it. JoJo was one of the dancers Sterling reached out to. Shortly after they met, Sterling got to listen to JoJo’s ideas as they pertained to her future. Sterling then had her vision of JoJo Siwa.
“I said, ‘Be careful with the choices you make through your teenage years because you’re gonna be famous,’” Sterling recalled. Jessalyn added to that, “She wanted JoJo to be a brand. And I’m like, ‘I’m in. Let’s do it.’” Boy, did they ever.
As JoJo Siwa’s YouTube channel continued to bring in big numbers, Sterling found JoJo her first big business venture – Claire’s. Sterling was able to strike a partnership with the accessories chain and that was the beginning of a very important relationship for both JoJo and the popular mall store.
Sales were beginning to dip for Claire’s and they needed some new life breathed into their name. JoJo Siwa came along with her style of bow and in 2016 the store decided to run a test to see if the product would take off. Jojo Siwa’s age was almost a plus in this way.
“The test took off immediately,” said Julie Splendoria, senior global license buyer for Claire’s. “JoJo came at such a critical moment in time, knowing that kids were so influenced by their phones,” she added. “I think it really did set the stage for retailers to get behind social media stars in a major way.”
JoJo Siwa’s star was on the rise even at a young age. Her YouTube channel was blowing up, she was in business with Claire’s, and now Nickelodeon was calling. They were looking for someone to be the voice for the “tween girl” and JoJo was a perfect fit. “It’s always been that kids admire their parents, admire politicians, best friends, athletes, celebrities,” claimed Pam Kaufman, president of consumer products at Viacom/Nickelodeon. “All of a sudden, the latest research that came into our room said that next to parents, the most important and influential people in kids’ lives were influencers.”
She starred in JoJo’s Juice for Nickelodeon as well as made appearances on a number of other series such as Nickelodeon’s Sizzling Summer Camp Special, School of Rock (TV series), MTV Cribs, The JoJo & BowBow Show Show, and The Kendall K. & Friends Show. Through it all, though, JoJo never forgets what got her started. “I never forget where I came from with YouTube,” JoJo explained to Rolling Stone in 2019. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without it.”
JOJO SIWA’S NET WORTH IS $20 MILLION DOLLARS
In JoJo’s short 20 years she has amassed a nice little fortune while making her stamp on the world. JoJo Siwa’s net worth is estimated at $20 million dollars but that figure may actually be low. Fans claim that because she has sold in the neighborhood of 40 million bow ribbons that it pushes her net worth much higher. Why quibble over a few million?
And as far as staying on screen is concerned, Jojo Siwa is staying busy on that end as well. She’s been featured on Rupaul’s Drag Race All-Stars, America’s Got Talent, High School Musical: The Series, and So You Think You Can Dance in the last couple of years.
And she’ll be in the movie All My Friends are Dead which is in pre-production now. She’ll star in the horror movie about a group of friends who are being picked off one-by-one by a murder while they stay in an Airbnb.
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