'Dance Moms' Star Abby Lee Miller Calls JoJo Siwa 'Shining Example' for Coming Out

Abby Lee Miller is showing love for Dance Moms alum JoJo Siwa after the 17-year-old came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community last week. On Saturday, Miller took to Instagram with a heartfelt post applauding Siwa's bravery and praising her as "a shining example" for other kids.

Sharing a sweet throwback photo of herself and Siwa, Miller said she "always knew the world would be a more colorful, positive, sparkly place with a kind, loving, dazzling triple threat like" Siwa in it. She went on to call the young star "a shining example for the kids out there to live their BEST lives each and every day," adding that the teen "put your heart on the platter! (If you know you know)." Signing off with "I love you kiddo" and encouraging Siwa to "keep making me proud," Miller added a series of hashtags, including "love you." Siwa, who wrote "love you" in the comments, reposted Miller's tribute on her Instagram Story.

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A post shared by Abby Lee Miller (@therealabbylee)

Siwa, who appeared in Seasons 5 and 6 of Dance Moms before achieving fame on YouTube and Nickelodeon, sparked speculation about her sexuality when she shared a photo of herself wearing a shirt that read "Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever." On Saturday, she opened about her sexuality and thanked her followers for "the most endless amount of love and support." Responding to a fan who asked, "What label are you?" Siwa said she isn't yet ready to put a label on things.

"I have thought about this, but the reason I'm not going to say this answer is because I don't really know this answer. I think humans are awesome, I think humans are really incredible people," she said. "Right now, I'm super duper happy and I want to share everything with the world but I also want to keep things in my life private until they are ready to be public. Right now what matters is that you guys know that no matter who you love, that it's okay. It's awesome and the world is there for you. There are so many people that are there for you."

During the conversation, Siwa also said she "doesn't know" how long she's been part of the LGBTQ+ community, telling fans, "I think my whole life because my whole life I have really, really been…I liked people but I had never fallen in love before. But I always believed that my person was just going to be my person. If that person happened to be a boy, then great. If that person happened to be a girl, great."

Since coming out, the teen has received an outpouring of support from those online, GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis among them. In a statement, Ellis said Siwa's "decision to share her truth with the world is a powerful moment that is being celebrated by the millions around the world who admire her," according to Entertainment Tonight. Ellis added, "as one of the most influential young role models today, JoJo's story is a reminder for LGBTQ youth to love who they are and to find safe and welcoming environments to speak out."