Nickelodeon has been home to many childhood stars and teen actors that have made huge strides in their careers, but many of these celebrities have dealt with unpublicized behavior from their directors despite Nickelodeon trying to keep their clean image. In many situations, this television company has turned a blind eye to large-scale issues, instead of addressing the issue publicly and holding those accountable. The issues can range from outright disregard for the other person to extreme situations of assault. Many times, the issues come from directors themselves, while other times they come from the company as a whole.
The annual Kids’ Choice Awards, an event allowing kids to vote for their favorite and most popular celebrity hosted by Nickelodeon, was held on April 9, 2022. The awards vary from Best Movie to Best Video Game of the Year with new additions every year. Even with the most bizarre categories added every year, one shocking event in particular stood out to many Nickelodeon fans this year – the missing face of Nickelodeon.
JoJo Siwa has been the face of Nickelodeon for years as she has been in a contract with them since she was 13 years old. Her larger than life personality is what draws younger audiences to her, featuring her high ponytail, sparkly outfits and creative bows. Recently Siwa has slowly been changing her style from her “usual characteristics” to something that fits her current persona. Although her fans may be happy to see her expressing herself, the television company she has worked with since she was a young teenager may have other thoughts.
Senior Lila Teitle has been a strong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community as a member of Unite Club and A Positive Place, “Shaving off a large portion of her hair was certainly a dramatic change from her previous signature look, and it seems that this move may have affected Siwa’s fan base in a variety of ways. Some appear to support her more, and some less, but either way she is doing what she feels is right for her,” she expressed. “Nickelodeon clearly does not approve of these changes and wants her to maintain her original image, but she is standing her ground and staying true to herself.”
In the past year, JoJo Siwa has come out to the world as a member of the LGBTQ+ community with an Instagram post of her wearing a t-shirt saying “Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever.” She inspired people of all ages to express who they truly are without being ashamed, and Nickelodeon has always stood by her through it all.
But recently Siwa chopped off her signature ponytail into a pixie cut hairstyle – right before the Kids’ Choice Awards leaving her without an invitation.
Although Nickelodeon has always been a strong supporter of Siwa and her brand, their choice – or blatant mistake – of not inviting Siwa has become a controversial subject. Siwa was nominated for Favorite Social Music Star but was one of the few nominees excluded from the event. She has been invited to the awards show for the past six years with four total wins, but the year she comes out to the world, she is coincidentally left off the guest list.
Senior Makena Richards is an avid fan and huge supporter of JoJo Siwa, “I think that Nickelodeon didn’t invite her because of Siwa’s transparency about her sexuality. Although there is absolutely nothing wrong with her sexual orientation, Nickelodeon is a kids station and many view the LGBTQ+ community as inappropriate,” she explained. “They act as if Siwa’s sexuality is hurting children more than a straight celebrity.”
Many fans were skeptical as to why Siwa would not attend an award show hosted by the company she works with, but the night of the show she posted a video explaining her absence. In her 12-second video she explained that she did not receive an invitation and her confusion as to the reasoning behind it. Many fans were experiencing the same confusion and wanted answers. Other stars who attended or did not attend the show stood up for Siwa by responding with heartfelt commentary or posting about it themselves.
Following the event, fans began tweeting their thoughts as to why Siwa was not invited with the star herself liking and even retweeting them. Many admirers of Siwa quickly put the pieces together as to why she did not have a seat. The tweets ranged from articles written about her to other celebrities giving their two cents about the issue to fans expressing their concern of homophobia within the television company.
Senior James McCune has grown up watching Nickelodeon and was disappointed to see Siwa missing from the awards show, but found comfort in the conditional love other stars gave her, “Celebrities showing their support for JoJo shows the often overlooked bond that child stars create with adult stars. Even with the age difference they all have common experiences,” he stated. “They all understand the atrocities committed by the networks which unites them together and makes it easier for them to stand up for one another during an unjust situation.”
Nickelodeon was soon in the hot seat as fans and supporters started to add up the events of this past year in comparison to other years. It became clear to them, and for anyone watching, that she was not invited due to her coming out and chopping her hair. The Kids’ Choice Awards went from an exciting event to a homophobic environment with a blink of an eye.
Even though Nickelodeon has an explanation as to why Siwa was left off the guest list, fans are doubtful as to whether it is the truth or not. The television company claimed the star’s missing invitation was an honest mistake and it was their fault for not supplying her with one. The error most likely came from a much smaller audience size to follow COVID protocols, and the company is working on smoothing things out with Siwa. Nickelodeon has addressed the homophobic remarks and is saddened by how quick people are to assume her missing invite was due to her sexuality.
There has been no word as to whether Siwa has accepted Nickelodeon’s apology or not, but it seems to be a hard thing to forgive, especially as a major face of the television company.
Laney Derrer • Apr 22, 2022 at 10:11 pm
Great article! I think it was incredibly disappointing that JoJo was not invited to the Nickelodeon Award’s Show as she is a great public figure that many young children look up to and they are trying to push her out of the public eye due to her identity. I liked your article because she deserves recognition for all of her accomplishments.