JoJo Siwa Drops Jaws At iHeartRadio Music Awards In “Bad-Girl” Outfit, Receives Backlash

Gone are the days when JoJo Siwa would stun children with her gigantic bows and her multi-colored outfits. However, there’s one thing that the 20-year-old singer has never let go of: glitter. Today, she turns heads for a whole new reason while keeping some older parts of herself alive. But her transformation has garnered an unfavorable reception.

JoJo is in her “bad girl” era, officially debuting a completely new look on Monday (April 1) at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards red carpet.

The Dance Moms star nearly looked unrecognizable when she showed up at the ceremony in Los Angeles, USA, wearing a sparkly all-black mesh bodysuit, which she paired with dramatic face paint and a theatrical faux hawk, resembling a 1980s glam rockstar.

JoJo Siwa, notable for wearing big bows and bright colors, sparked criticism after debuting a new bad-girl look

Image credits: XOMG POP!

Image credits: itsjojosiwa

The eye-catching red carpet style comes weeks after the former child star announced she was transitioning into her adult era with her upcoming song Karma, set to be released on April 5.

JoJo has been teasing her new song, including clips of her music video dance rehearsals. Nevertheless, her recent work has often been met with mockery, with many people expressing their lack of enthusiasm for both her revived music and new sense of fashion.

Last month, the performer discussed her new music and her “transition” to adulthood when she appeared at the 2024 GLAAD Awards, an event that recognizes and honors various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the LGBTQ+ community.

JoJo showed up in a completely new look on Monday (April 1) at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards red carpet

Image credits: E! News

JoJo, who came out as being queer in 2020, hinted that the public could expect to hear and see new content from her that they “have not seen from [her] before.”

She told People: “I’ve seen people before me make this transition, I’ve seen how much I loved it, and I’ve seen also how much the world has criticized us, so I am ready for that.”

“One thing that I think no one’s done is given the heads-up,” JoJo said, referring to her recent social media posts, adding: “It was important to me to give that heads-up and be like, look if you follow along, that’s all you.”

You can watch JoJo debuting her new look on the red carpet below:

@itsjojosiwaSee u soon♬ Karma – JoJo Siwa

The Nebraska native added: “If you want to go, now’s your time.

“But in the best way possible, now’s your time.”

JoJo, who was signed under Nickelodeon, further explained: “I feel like a lot of child stars started as a character then they grew into an adult as themselves.”

if i see one more video of jojo siwa gyrating on my fyp i’m going to go insane pic.twitter.com/dcnv6XcoKw

— wren ☂︎︎ (@diegosjfk) April 3, 2024

IS THAT JOJO SIWA???? pic.twitter.com/k7fpL2pUNB

— ali !! ☂️???? CEO ???? (@altigaytor) April 2, 2024

“Whereas for me, I’ve always been myself, you know what I mean?

“And so to make this transition while being true to myself, while being artistic, has been interesting to figure out.

“But I think we’ve nailed it and I think it definitely makes a massive statement.”

JoJo’s transformation ignited many mockeries on social media

someone said jojo siwa looks like shadow from sk8 THIS IS CRAZY pic.twitter.com/AKxB2MUeM4

— fenia ☆ (@faerxn) April 2, 2024

isn’t this literally jojo siwa Rn pic.twitter.com/NSXlWnIqvS

— balls (@koalaballs49) March 27, 2024

“Maybe even too big of a statement, but I think it’s going to be a good one.”

JoJo became a public figure at the of age nine when she competed in Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition and went on to appear on Dance Moms for two seasons.

In 2015, she took her fame to YouTube, where she amassed more than 12 million subscribers before eventually releasing multiple songs and turning her iconic bows into a business, launching them at Claire’s.