JoJo Siwa Explains Why She Went Public with Girlfriend Dakayla Wilson After Wanting to Keep Things Private (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

JoJo Siwa (left); Dakayla Wilson.Photo:Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; FOX via Getty

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; FOX via Getty

A change of heart — and an intrigued dance class — led toJoJo SiwaandDakayla Wilsonchanging their stance on keeping their relationship private.

At the premiere of Hulu’s new documentary seriesChild Star, which marksDemi Lovato’s directorial debut, Siwa, 21, and Wilson opened up to PEOPLE about their decision to go public with their romance.

“Honestly I’ve been very open about not wanting to be public,” Siwa says. “And so when we kind of got together, it was just — it was literally one day where she was teaching a dance class and the girls in the class and the boys in the class were like, kind of looking at us. Then one was like, ‘Why are you here, JoJo?’ And finally I just came up to her and I was like, ‘Yeah, why am I here?’ "

Siwa continues, “And I gave her [Wilson] the look like, ‘It’s okay, you can say,’ and then they were videoing that, and so we were like, ‘You know what? It’s public.’ "

“Things change,” Wilson adds.

Dakayla Wilson and JoJo Siwa on Instagram.Jojo Siwa/Instagram

Jojo Siwa/Instagram

Siwa and theSo You Think You Can Dancealumwent public with their relationshipin an Aug. 14 video on Siwa’s Instagram Stories. In the video, Wilson was dancing in front of a mirror at a dance class, when she said, “So I have a girlfriend.”

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The formerDance Momsstar then gave her girlfriend a bug hug as the class cheered. “Cats outta the bag 😺,” Siwa captioned the post. Wilson later reposted the video, writing, “surprise shawtyyyyy 😽.”

The couple haven’t shared how long they’ve been dating, but after confirming their relationship, the “Karma” singer shared aTikTok videoof herself dancing. “Girlfriend taught a dance class so i took a weekend off of being JoJo Siwa and became her All Star Assistant,” she captioned the video. “❤️‍🔥 @DAKAYLA WILSON broke my body in half for this but WORTH IT.”

JoJo Siwa at theChild Starpremiere.Chad Salvador/Variety via Getty

Chad Salvador/Variety via Getty

In November 2023, Siwa told PEOPLE thatdating with her busy schedule has been trickyin the past. She also revealed that she struggled with balancing romantic relationships with other aspects of her life.

“I’m a lover. I crave that. But it’s good, because I know when I’m in a relationship, I prioritize it, and sometimes a little too much and I cut out friends, cut out family, cut out career, and I only focus on relationships,” she said at the time.

In the same interview, Siwa also said that she had taken a year off from dating to focus on herself, but noted that she was looking forward to finding “someone to come home to at night, and cuddle and have a peanut butter and jelly with.”

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Child Starpremieres Sept. 17 on Hulu.

source: people.com