JoJo Siwa on 'Changing the Future' of DWTS as First to Compete with Same-Sex Partner: 'Proud'
JoJo Siwa is ready to make Dancing with the Stars history.
The 18-year-old Dance Moms alum will compete on the upcoming 30th season of DWTS, and Siwa will be the first female celebrity paired with a female pro dancer.
"When I read the email it was like, 'Would JoJo prefer to dance with a girl or with a boy?' and I was like, 'Wait, that's an option? Let's absolutely do it!' It was a like, 'Whoa, I'm changing the future' [moment], because I have such a kid demographic," she said while co-hosting Entertainment Tonight Monday.
"It's making it acceptable, and I love that and I'm so proud of that," Siwa added.
The social media star/singer said she begins rehearsals Tuesday, when she'll find out whom she's paired with. She told ET she looked forward to training for the show, given her dancing background.
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"I'm not gonna hide that I'm a dancer. I was a dancer my whole life. Am I very out of practice? Absolutely. I perform all the time, but it's different, you know? I don't have to strengthen my legs, and ballroom is different. I've never taken ballroom," the Nickelodeon star explained.
"It's gonna help me in a way, but it also is a disadvantage. Because I guarantee you the judges are 100 million percent gonna judge me harder than they do everybody else."
Andrew Lipovsky/NBC/NBCU Photobank JoJo Siwa
In January, Siwa came out as LGBTQ, over a series of posts on TikTok and Instagram. She told PEOPLE in April, "I never wanted [my coming out] to be a big deal. ... I've known since I was little."
"My thing is," she added at the time, "I don't want people to watch my videos or buy my merchandise if they aren't going to support not only me, but the LGBTQ community."
RELATED VIDEO: 'Beyond Proud': JoJo Siwa on Her Live-Action Musical Coming to Life After 3 Years in the Works
Gymnast Suni Lee, who recently won gold at the Tokyo Olympics, will also compete on DWTS. The rest of the star-studded contestants will be unveiled on Good Morning America next week on Sept. 8.
Ballroom experts Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough will return to the long-running show's judges panel. Tyra Banks is also set to reprise her role as host.
Season 30 of Dancing with the Stars premieres Monday, Sept. 20, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
