Gawker Person of the Year Jojo Siwa is no stranger to pouring herself into a Party City Halloween costume and charming the Crocs off a live studio audience. Last fall, she snatched Pennywise’s wig and placed it over her own ponytail on Dancing with the Stars as a nation screamed, “EGOT!”
And last night, on her golden 19th birthday (it was May 19), she went on the Tonight Show in a formal rayon-blend Beetlejuice get-up and outshone Jimmy, the giggliest sycophant on television. I screamed, “”EGOT!” again. Jojo’s natural charisma bested Jimmy’s hyperactive approximation of a fun person.
Jimmy’s getting a little long in the tooth, plus he’s got some major projects like That’s My Jam and Clash of the Coverbands occupying every precious free moment he’s got intellectually. Why not let another performer who can actually dance and sing and carry a conversation take over? She’s a judge this season on FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance, and Jimmy tells us that Jojo’s music video for the peacemongering anti-violence anthem “Boomerang,” which I walked down the aisle to, is nearing a billion views on YouTube. She was the youngest Ellen guest host ever, for sobbing out loud. Those are credentials.
Jojo and Jimmy use her time on the show to manifest a one-day back-up dancing opportunity for our girl on Lady Gaga’s tour. She knows 20 of her dances. But Jojo needs to dream bigger. Like, playing beer pong with Nina Dobrev bigger.
