It was the shirt read around the world when singer sensation JoJo Siwa posted an image of herself that said “Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever.” The “Boomerang” performer has received support from around the world for coming out to the public. Following her announcement, Siwa’s former Dance Moms teacher, Abby Lee Miller, has also shared her feelings on her protégé’s coming out moment.
Abby Lee Miller revealed that over the years, many students have come to her and opened up about their struggles with their sexuality. But when it comes to JoJo Siwa, Miller thinks she honestly didn't know until she, well, knew. Miller said to Entertainment Tonight:
I'm very proud, I'm very proud. I don't think she hides anything really. I think maybe she just didn't know.
Abby Lee Miller met JoJo Siwa under her real name, Joelle Joanie Siwa, back in 2012 for the Dance Moms spinoff show, Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition. JoJo Siwa came in fifth place at the time, but she went on to do two seasons of Dance Moms.
That was only the beginning of people recognizing JoJo's star power. Dance Moms executive producer Bryan Stinson told Rolling Stone back in 2019 that the crew would rush to watch JoJo Siwa's interviews “because they were so compelling.” Abby Lee Miller called the singer “a marketing genius,” as she was able to translate her talents and moxie onto the YouTube platform to tremendous success.
After coming out on Instagram, JoJo Siwa answered questions on a live session in January. She revealed that she didn't know quite yet what she identified as, whether that be lesbian, bisexual, or queer. But she told her fans:
Right now, what matters is that you guys know that no matter who you love that's OK, and that it's awesome, and the world is there for you. I always believed that my person was going to be my person and if that person happened to be a boy, great, and if that person happened to be a girl, great. I'm just so happy. I'm the happiest I have ever been.
Dance Moms teacher Abby Lee Miller shared that she has been to JoJo Siwa's home many times over the years and still actively gets calls and texts from Siwa with news about her life. Miller said it is “good to be involved” and “not forgotten” by her protégé’. She also recognized the difficulty for JoJo being such a young and modern star, saying:
Her life is for the whole world to know about. Every single thing that she's doing with social media now, everybody knows what we're doing and what we're up to at every moment. And we tell them, we share it. So for her to make that statement and to share that, that's what she wanted to do.
Abby Lee Miller may be known as a fierce dance teacher and even more notorious for not backing down from uptight dance moms. But she can also be remembered as one of the people who brought JoJo Siwa, who just recently posted a pic with her girlfriend, into the shining moment she is experiencing.
