JoJo Siwa Explains Why She Changed Her Name
Her boyfriend was part of the reason.
JoJo Siwa may have outgrown her famous name. At the end of 2025, Siwa made headlines when she updated her TikTok account to change her display name from JoJo Siwa to Joelle Siwa. And now, the dancer is revealing why she is connecting more to her birth name than the nickname that she’s gone by for most of her life.
Ever since her professional debut on Dance Moms, Joelle Joanie Siwa has used the name JoJo. But with some big recent changes in her life, the star likes the idea of embracing her given name. Part of the reason for this is that her boyfriend, Chris Hughes, refers to her as Joelle rather than JoJo.
"I've gotten more comfortable with the idea of Joelle, and my boyfriend calls me Joelle," Siwa said in a Feb. 24 interview on E! News: The Rundown.
Siwa and Hughes have been dating for nearly a year now, after first openly flirting with one another in the Celebrity Big Brother house in April 2025. The surprising relationship caused Siwa to redefine her sexuality, saying on the reality show that she no longer identifies as a lesbian. The couple has recently sparked rumors that an engagement is just around the corner.
If Siwa is indeed about to get a new last name, perhaps she’s also rethinking her first name. She explained that throughout her life, certain people call her JoJo, while others have always called her Joelle.
“It's kinda been a mix in my life,” Siwa said. "My family doesn't call me Joelle. My friends call me JoJo, but Jenna Johnson from Dancing with the Stars calls me Joelle.
At this stage in her life, Siwa proclaimed: "I feel like Joelle more so now than ever."
She sees the two names as two sides of her lifestyle — one is relaxed and content while the other is full pop star mode. "I think Joelle's, like, the happy version of JoJo, and I feel like JoJo is the crazier version of Joelle," she explained.
