YouTuber and internet personality, Jojo Siwa, made history by being the first contestant on “Dancing With The Stars” to have a same sex partner. Siwa and her partner, Jenna Johnson-Chmerkovskiy, received the highest score of the night with a 29 out of 40 on week one. The duo has continued to score highly and remain highly competitive throughout the following weeks. By partnering with each other, Siwa and Johnson-Chmerkovskiy have shown other celebrities in the LGTBQ+ community that it is a possibility to have a same sex partner in the ballroom.

In an interview with USA Today, Siwa explained why she chose to have a same sex partner for Season 30 of Dancing With The Stars. ¨“I thought that if I chose to dance with a girl on this show, it would break the stereotypical thing.” According to US Magazine, production chooses who the stars dance with; however, Siwa was given the option to dance with a male or a female partner this year.
Siwa acknowledges her ex-girlfriend, Kylie Prew, as one of the main reasons why she felt confident in having a same sex partner. The pair began dating in January of 2021, however they recently broke up. Siwa recognizes that her coming out story influenced today’s youth in a positive way and her having a same sex partner on “Dancing With the Stars” is no different.
Freshman, Lyric Henderson, shared her thoughts on Siwa having a same sex partner. “I think that it’s cool that they are starting to be more open to [change] by letting her have the same gender for a partner.”
Siwa has conveyed that “Dancing With the Stars” has helped her in more ways than one. For instance, she acknowledged that she has started to love dance again because of her participation on the show. According to US Magazine, Siwa described “Dancing With the Stars” as an “escape” and that is something “[she’s] never felt before” while dancing.

Siwa used to be a TV personality on the popular reality show, “Dance Moms.” It’s no secret that Siwa’s experience on “Dance Moms” was less than perfect; however, the show has helped her grow exponentially as an influencer in the social media world.

“I think it’s completely fine that Jojo has a girl partner considering it’s just another contestant that just so happens to have a same sex partner,” said senior Jenny Zhang. “I don’t know why there is any speculation on this since I think it’s completely natural for them to compete together on the show. I think the show is moving in the right direction to allow same sex partners to compete in the competition.”