‘Dancing With the Stars’ Helped JoJo Siwa Become ‘Less Scared’ of Herself

JoJo Siwa can’t express enough how much impact her time on Dancing With the Stars with dance partner Jenna Johnson had on her. The YouTuber opened up to Entertainment Tonight about her experience on the ABC dance competition while walking the red carpet with her mom at the iHeartRadio 102.7 KIIS FM Jingle Ball concert on Friday.

“I miss it so much, it’s actually insane,” Siwa said when asked about her return to life after Dancing With the Stars. “I text Jenna every day about how much I miss it. I post every day about how much I miss it. It was just such a good experience.” While the Dance Moms star thought her role in the show’s first same-sex dance couple would have a positive impact on viewers, she “had no idea what it was going to do for me, personally.”

“I feel like I’m just more self-aware and I feel like I’m more confident. I feel like I’m less scared of myself,” Siwa said, crediting Johnson with helping her embrace her inner power and helping her to “come out of [her] shell.” The LGBTQ+ advocate joked, “I came out once again! Second time around.”

Siwa and Johnson were the highest-scored team of Season 30, making it all the way to the finals and being favored to win by many. However, the two ended up runners-up for the season after Iman Shumpert and his pro partner, Daniella Karagach, took home the Mirrorball trophy in the end, winning out also over Amanda Kloots and Alan Bersten and Cody Rigsby and Cheryl Burke. Siwa’s mom, Jessalynn Siwa, told ET she was “unbelievably proud, every night” watching her daughter, calling the experience “amazing.”

As Siwa comes into her own as a public figure in the LGBTQ+ community after coming out last January, Jessalynn said she’s loving watching her daughter take on a new chapter of her life. “It’s all new to me and I’m just embracing it with everything I can do,” she continued. “I just want JoJo to be happy and I want her to know that I love her unconditionally and I’m excited for it.”