JoJo Siwa Faced Dark Allegations After She Exited Dance Moms
Before JoJo Siwa's transformation from hair bows to a sparkly Alice Cooper vibe was complete, the dancer and singer was the subject of something more serious than rhinestones and dragon wings. Entering the spotlight during Season 2 of the reality show "Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition," JoJo was all of 9 years old when she and her mom, Jessalynn Siwa, became part of Abby Lee Miller's world of little kids with big moves. Guided by her momager, the blonde girl with the hair bows soon joined the original cast of "Dance Moms," then became a Nickelodeon star, a "Dancing With the Stars" contestant, and a social media darling with over 11 million followers on Instagram and 45.9 million on TikTok.
With JoJo transitioning to more adult ventures, the mother-daughter duo decided to create more mini-JoJos for the world to enjoy. In November 2021, the first episode of "Siwas Dance Pop Revolution," hit the airwaves, featuring 11 tween girls competing to win a spot in a new girl group managed by Jessalynn. The seven girls originally chosen to be in XOMG Pop! made their live performance debut on "The Ellen Show" in December 2021.
Despite the bright, sugary vibe of XOMG Pop!, the Siwas have since faced allegations of something much darker and more sour in the creation and running of the young girl group. They've been accused of, among other things, name-calling, insult-throwing, encouraging an overly competitive environment, endless rehearsals that taxed and exhausted the girls, and insufficient compensation.
JoJo told the girls of XOMG Pop! they sucked
Though the girl group XOMG Pop! originally consisted of seven girls hand-chosen by JoJo Siwa and Jessalynn Siwa during "Siwas Dance Pop Revolution," members slowly began disappearing. By August 2023, they were down to just three original members, and in October, they announced a brand-new girl would be joining. Fans questioned what happened to the other four girls, and Leigha Sanderson (pictured above, far left), provided a few answers.
In an exclusive to Rolling Stone, Leigha and her mother, Anjie, revealed there was a lot going on behind the scenes — not all of it good. In addition to the stories of verbal abuse and long hours, Anjie provided legal documentation. In a remark on Reddit, the mom wrote, "I have provided numerous receipts and contracts that were violated and so much more." Leigha herself recalled a performance XOMG Pop! did at Mall of America. The group was on stage, and Siwa was yelling at them through their headsets, "'You're sucking, bring it up, the energy is low, you look sloppy. This isn't good enough,'" she recalled to Rolling Stone. "We had thousands of people watching this, and then we have somebody in our ear screaming at us telling us we suck."
The Siwas have denied the accusations via their lawyer Bryan Freedman, who told the publication, "These allegations are 100 percent provably false and this story is created to generate clicks at the expense of the truth."
Others have also alluded to the Siwas being less than nice
Leigha Sanderson and her mother Anjie have been open about their time with XOMG Pop!, but they aren't the only ones who have alluded to a darker side of JoJo Siwa after she left "Dance Moms." In their quest for girl-group domination, the star and her mom, Jessalynn Siwa, have caused other stories to emerge. In confirming the Sandersons' accusations, Rolling Stone spoke with several sources who were close to the show and the group. One such person shared the motto that was known among the producers of the show: "It's not a good day unless you make a kid cry."
As for the other members of XOMG Pop! who went missing, one possible reason you may not have heard anything is due to nondisclosure agreements — the other girls and their families signed them; the Sandersons did not. Still, that hasn't stopped everyone from dropping clues about their time with the Siwas.
Kiya Barczyszyn was one of the original seven members, and the first one who disappeared. In a March 2024 Instagram post, she shared a photo of her and Leigha together at an event. Her caption reads, "Leaving the past behind us." Barczyszyn's mom also added a note to the photo, expressing her pride in both girls, confirming, "These 2 girls have been through A LOT! So glad to see them both happy and thriving these days."