The JoJo Siwa controversy, explained

JoJo Siwa sustained her popularity long after her breakout appearance as part of Lifetime’s Dance Moms, with the 20-year-old’s career now spanning solo music, internet fame, and appearances in films and television shows. Naturally, Siwa’s meteoric rise to stardom has brought with it some negativity, from messy breakups with fellow TikTokers to feisty beefs with stars like Cameron Bure. 

Perhaps Siwa’s biggest controversy, however, arrived in Feb. 2024, when the Dance Moms and Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition alum was accused of creating a hostile work environment while training her newly-formed pop girl group, XOMG POP!. So just what are the group members alleging, and how has Siwa responded to the controversy?

The JoJo Siwa controversy, explained

In what reads like a similar version of allegations recently leveled against Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness, Jojo Siwa was accused of mistreating some members of her pop girl group, XOMG POP!. The group was assembled by Siwa alongside her mother and manager, Jessalyn Siwa, as part of Siwa’s reality TV competition, Siwas Dance Pop Revolution. 

That show, which aired for one season on E!, saw girls from across the country audition for Siwa in the hope of being selected for XOMG POP!, a girl band framed as the next version of Kidz Bop and destined for chart-topping status. Despite its innocent name, allegations about the treatment of those involved in both XOMG POP! and Siwas Dance Pop Revolution have since been reported by Rolling Stone. 

The report, published on February 13, includes multiple sources close to the production who allege that the children involved in Dance Pop Revolution were subject to grueling rehearsals, intense physical duress, and minimal compensation. One quoted source, an ex-member of XOMG POP! named Leigha Sanderson, made the majority of the accusations, claiming that Siwa and her mother forced children to cry on camera and created a cutthroat environment in which contestants were pitted against each other.

One of Sanderson’s accusations was that she was forced to continue rehearsing shortly after undergoing surgery, and was encouraged to wrap wounds and continue performing rather than being offered a rest break. It was alleged that Sanderson was told to return to filming the show before the physician-recommended recovery period and that she was the subject of verbal insults made by Siwa and Jessalyn. 

Rolling Stone reports that the toxic culture continued long after the cameras were down and that contestants were gifted candy and Nintendo Switch games as compensation for their poor treatment. It is alleged that Siwa and Jessalyn “dangled the carrot” of fame — including a toy deal and a movie — in front of the contestants, only to berate them while filming. 

Sanderson’s mother, Anjie, was the only parent of Siwas Dance Pop Revolution to go on the record — the others allegedly signed non-disclosure agreements — and her claims included that the children were not directly paid for social media content, brand deals, and merch revenue. 

At one point, Anjie alleges that she was so low on funds that she started scrubbing toilets for Jessalyn for $20 an hour. The report claims that Leigha Sanderson was fired after her mother expressed her frustration about the toxic work culture, after which she begged Jessalyn to keep her daughter’s place in XOMG POP!. Sanderson is one of four of the original seven members in the XOMG POP! lineup to have left the group over the past year and a half.

For their part, Jessalyn and Siwa have vehemently denied the allegations. Responding through their lawyer to the Rolling Stone article, the Siwas said that Sanderson’s accusations are “100 percent provably false,” instead claiming that it was Anjie’s abusive behavior that led to Leigha’s removal from the group. The show’s production company also denied the allegations and said they go against “everything JoJo Siwa stands for.”

Before the report, XOMG POP! had been enjoying a gradual rise to fame. The girl group appeared on America’s Got Talent and are scheduled for a slew of live performances, a debut tour, and a show on a Royal Caribbean cruise. The band has amassed hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube, with a TikTok audience reaching 3.3 million followers. 

It marks the most recent instance in which Siwa was swept up in controversy. Last September, Siwa caught flack defending fellow internet personality Colleen Ballinger, following accusations that the latter had been involved in inappropriate online group chats with minors.