JoJo Siwa Draws Criticism From 'So You Think You Can Dance' Fans Over Season 17 Role
Popular Fox dance reality show So You Think You Can Dance is back with some significant changes for Season 17. The show has been revamped with an all-new panel of judges, including dancer and Ellen DeGeneres Show Co-Executive Producer and DJ, Stephen "Twitch" Boss, Glee's Matthew Morrison, and JoJo Siwa. After the COVID-19 pandemic put the show on hold for two years, former judges Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, and Laurieann Gibson were replaced.
After watching the first episode of the season, fans took to Twitter and criticized Siwa for being too "loud" during her judging, commenting that they miss the old format and judges.
Hate hate hate these #SYTYCD auditions. Used to love the auditions in front of other dancers, in front of their peers. This "live" audience for auditions is so not good. And #jojosiwa- take it down 5 levels. It's not about you and how loud you can be. Love Twitch.
— Suzanne (@suzanne92024) May 19, 2022
One fan wrote, "@FOXTV #SYTYCD @DANCEonFOX @itsjojosiwa please stop yelling Hey heyheyhey during the performances. It's distracting and I find it inappropriate and rude. Maybe quite it down and find another exclamation to say."
Five minutes in, & am not a fan. I hate it for the dancers because they aren’t getting to experience the true #SYTYCD. Bring back Nigel or any of the qualified choreographers to judge. I’m sorry but JoJo is neither…wasn’t a fan when she was on Dance Moms. Hard to watch.
— Julie Elder (@jselder58) May 19, 2022
Another user posted, "Five minutes in, & am not a fan. I hate it for the dancers because they aren't getting to experience the true #SYTYCD. Bring back Nigel or any of the qualified choreographers to judge. I'm sorry but JoJo is neither… wasn't a fan when she was on Dance Moms. Hard to watch."
OMG – @official_tWitch is awesome, as always. But @itsjojosiwa? That voice makes my skin crawl! And I don't even know who @matt_Morrison is!
— Jim Hager (@KCgolfnut) May 19, 2022
How can you have this show without the man who created it? You have ruined #SYTYCD! I am so saddened because I missed it so much!
🤬😳😭🤬
Siwa told TALENTRECAP that she grew up with the show and remembered her friends wanting to audition for the series. "It's wild, growing up watching it now versus being a part of it," Siwa said. "Obviously, the panel is very different, we're not having some of the most iconic people that have been a part of this show, however, it's new."
Siwa explained that each judge brings something unique to the table. The panel is led by Boss, while Matthew Morrison brings a musical theatre background. The dancer explained how the coronavirus changed everything about how we live, so the new series continues to evolve with the participants this season.
Siwa acknowledged that the competition would bring out a new side of her. The dancer wants to be the technical judge among the three, although she is known for being nice. As a dancer, she feels it's the right place for her in the trio, given her background and training."Never mean, I don't want to be a mean human, but you know, honest," Siwa said.