JoJo Siwa reveals she was swatted after coming out

JoJo Siwa swatted after coming outUnsplash, AJ Colores / YouTube, It's JoJo Siwa

YouTuber and former Dance Moms star JoJo Siwa came out on January 22 — but while the internet was busy celebrating her announcement, Siwa herself was dealing with a frightening swatting situation.

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JoJo Siwa is one of the biggest influencers among young people; boasting over 12 million subscribers on YouTube, Siwa has become a veritable icon for kids due to her bubbly personality, positive messages, high-energy pop songs, and rainbow-studded outfits.

However, it wasn’t her style that took over the net on January 22 — instead, it was her official “coming out” announcement, which she had previously teased by uploading a TikTok of herself lip syncing to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.”

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JoJo confirmed what many fans had suspected by uploading a photo of herself wearing a shirt she’d been given by her cousin, which boasted lettering that read “Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever.”

https://twitter.com/itsjojosiwa/status/1352719582977355777?s=20

Needless to say, the internet went wild with excitement over Siwa’s announcement — but it seems that the weekend went in an entirely different direction for Siwa, herself.

According to the YouTuber, police had been called to her home in a classic case of “swatting” in wake of her big reveal, leading to a terrifying moment during what should have been a celebratory time for the singer.

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“Our house got swatted,” she explained during an Instagram Live stream. “We were at our house and all of the sudden, there were a whole bunch of police telling us to come outside the house. And we didn’t know why. …The police were saying that somebody had called and made a claim, and then all of the sudden, paparazzi came around the corner.”

Siwa seemed to claim that the swatting had been carried out due to a call from paparazzi, who may have hoped to be the first to snap some photos of the star after her announcement.

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While this claim has yet to be confirmed, it’s obvious that swatting is never okay under any circumstances. Swatting refers to prank calls that aim to send a number of armed police offers to a person’s home address, usually with allegations that the target is breaking the law or endangering others.

While it was no doubt a traumatizing experience for Siwa, she’s maintaining a positive attitude and hopes the caller will face consequences for their actions.

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The star also revealed she’d filmed the whole ordeal and will upload the video to her YouTube channel sometime in the near future.