JoJo Siwa Reveals How Her Grandma Played a Part in Her Drinking Alcohol on Stage

JoJo Siwa isn’t dancing around the inspiration for her performances.

The “Karma” singer shared how her grandmother supported her idea to drink alcohol on stage during her recent Pride Fest concerts.

“This idea of doing this stemmed from—I was in rehearsals and we were starting a new routine for ‘Yesterday's Tomorrow's Today,’ and my 21st birthday had just passed,” JoJo explained on the July 8 episode of her podcast JoJo Siwa Now. “I was like, ‘I want to f--king take a shot before this.’ And my grandma was like, ‘All right, JoJo. You should do it.’ I was like, ‘All right, let’s do it!’”

And it eventually became one of her favorite parts while performing. She added, “The crowd goes absolutely ballistic.”

The Dance Moms alum—who just finished her tour of Pride performances in L.A., New York, Miami and Chicago—revealed that the audience’s reaction inspired her to make it a “big thing” following Los Angeles Pride at the Park last month.

“At L.A. Pride, I brought out a jug of Tito's and people were like, ‘Whoa, what are you doing? Is it real? Is it fake?’” she recalled of the vodka. “I was like, ‘B---h, it is what it f--king is. It's a bottle of Tito's.’”

Now, the 21-year-old ritual also includes her dancers, who choose the alcohol she’s drinking. “It keeps me guessing,” she noted. “However, I did decide that my dancers, if they're gonna keep f--king bringing it out, they need to bring out a chaser with it.”

But the crowd wasn’t always going ballistic for the right reasons during JoJo’s sets. In a video circulating on social media, she took a moment to call out an audience member who booed her in New York City June 29.

"Who the living f--k just booed me," she yelled on stage. "Where the f--k did that come from? Which one of you?"

While she couldn’t identify the person, she did have a message for anyone else ready to heckle her: “Respectfully, f--k you.”

Keep reading to see the evolution of JoJo, who traded in her glittery hairbows for a much bolder look.

JoJo Siwa made her reality TV debut at age 9 while competing on the second season of Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition, judged by Abby Lee Miller.

JoJo celebrated the launch of Abby Lee Dance Company LA's VIP Grand Opening. 

She rocked a glam jumpsuit at the 3rd Annual Reality TV Awards.

JoJo accepted the award for Favorite Viral Music Artist at Nickelodeon's 2017 Kids' Choice Awards. 

She proved the sun never sets on a badass with her shades at the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards.

Batter up: JoJo donned a classic baseball outfit at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Sports.

She showed off her signature style at the 2018 Teen Choice Awards. 

Even Kim Kardashian and North West keep up with the teen idol.

JoJo's star-studded Sweet 16 included a special visit from the Kardashian-Jenner family, with North and Penelope Disick fan-girling over the birthday girl. 

JoJo belted her heart out while on tour.

JoJo spent her Thanksgiving giving back.

The Dance Moms alum was all smiles at the Lakers game.

It was a party in the U.S.A when JoJo and Miley Cyrus hung out.

Who's under that T-Rex? JoJo showed off her singing chops on The Masked Singer. 

JoJo came out on Instagram in 2020, wearing a shirt reading, "Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever." 

Later that year, she and then-girlfriend Kylie Prew celebrated Pride together.

JoJo performed onstage during a screening for her Paramount+ original movie The J Team.

Making history as the first same-sex Dancing With the Stars pair, JoJo competed with partner Jenna Johnson on season 30 of the reality competition series.

She said bye, bye, bye bye to her signature ponytail.

JoJo got inked during an outing with outing with Raven-Symoné and wife Miranda Pearman-Maday. For her first tattoo, she got the number 1031 behind her right ear in reference to her 2019 to 2022 D.R.E.A.M. The Tour concert series.

The singer teased her next project might not be suitable for all ages. 

"The following content is not made for children," she shared in a series of cryptic Instagram posts, "and may be disturbing or offensive to some viewers."

JoJo debuted her more mature look at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards, rocking dark makeup and an edgy costume from her "Karma" music video.