JoJo Siwa raised eyebrows while thanking Beyoncé during a recent awards show speech.
“I also have to say thank you to Beyoncé just so that we can keep the dancing community safe,” Siwa, 21, said on stage at the 2024 Industry Dance Awards on Tuesday, October 8. “Beyoncé, you’ve got great music. We all love to dance to it. We all love you. … Someone had to, and I will be the someone.”
Her comments were seemingly in reference to online conspiracy theories suggesting that celebrities thank Beyoncé, 43, during awards shows to avoid appearing as a threat, especially given her and her husband Jay-Z’s connection to Sean “Diddy” Combs.
“I think Beyoncé is great and she’s written a lot of incredible music that we’ve all used [and danced to],” Siwa exclusively told Us Weekly at the Dancers Against Cancer’s 10th Annual Gala of Stars Awards in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, October 9. “I’m actually dancing to a Beyoncé song tonight. We’re doing ‘Single Ladies,’ a Liza Minnelli tribute.”
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Addressing the Beyoncé shout-out, Siwa went on to note that “the Internet’s going to run with whatever it is they run with.” She added: “They do their thing, and I can’t predict what they’re going to do.”
Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s attorney, Alex Spiro, slammed allegations that the couple have more “victims” than Diddy, 54, made by Jaguar Wright during a recent interview with Piers Morgan. (Diddy was arrested last month on sex trafficking and racketeering charges after multiple individuals filed sexual assault and abuse lawsuits against the rapper. He has vehemently denied alleged victims’ claims.)
“There’s rumors and then there’s nonsense and this is one step further. This is a pointed and formal accusation of something. I felt they needed to be responded to,” Spiro told TMZ in a statement on Wednesday. “I think somebody reported it was a cease and desist. It was quite bluntly an ultimatum which is, remove that false accusation that’s demonstrably false or a court’s going to order you to.” (Morgan, for his part, apologized for Wright’s accusations on-air. Beyoncé and Jay-Z, 54, have not publicly commented on Diddy’s legal drama.)
JoJo Siwa attends the 10th Annual Gala of The Stars awards on October 9, 2024 in Beverly Hills.
Siwa’s speech prompted strong social media reactions, with one fan writing via X, “Okay fun’s over she ruined the joke.” A TikTok user, meanwhile, commented on a clip of her speech, “Idc she funny for this .”
Dealing with both positive and negative social media comments is something Siwa has learned to face over the years, especially after taking on a more mature image. Earlier this month, the former child star shared a clip from a performance featuring dancers dressed as teddy bears suggestively touching her via TikTok.
Reacting to haters, Siwa told Us, “I don’t know. Go touch grass, go help [people affected by Hurricane Milton] in Florida. I don’t know.”
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Having been in the public eye since a young age, Siwa said she sometimes wonders what it would be like to hang up her sparkly outfits. “I wonder how long I’ll do it for. You know what I mean? I have two sides,” she explained. “I have one side that’s like, ‘Tomorrow I’m done,’ and then I have another that’s like, ‘I want to be 82 and still performing.’ It’s a little bit of both.”
Siwa was one of many famous dancers in attendance at Wednesday’s Gala of Stars Awards. Organized by Dancers Against Cancer, the event raised awareness for supporting those affected by cancer through the power of dance.
“Dancers Against Cancer is such a beautiful foundation that I’ve been a part of now for the last 10 years,” Siwa told Us. “I recently joined the board, and so to be here tonight around 10 [years], my favorite. My favorite ever.”
With reporting by Mariel Turner