How Being On Special Forces Changed JoJo Siwa's Feelings On Fame

The young star shares how her time on the reality competition changed the way she’ll approach that work-life balance.

Being on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test was an eye-opening experience for JoJo Siwa, especially in regards to how she handles being in the spotlight.

Siwa, 20, was thrust into superstardom after breaking out big on Dance Moms as a child star, going on to become a massive YouTuber and even landing on Time’s most influential people list in 2020. She currently boasts 11 million followers in Instagram, while her YouTube channel — which is now dedicated to her XOMG POP! group — has another 12.2 million.

But all that fame — at such a young age — came at a cost for Siwa, something she’s opened up about on the current season of the FOX reality competition. In recent episodes, she shared that she tends to be “a loner” while at home and enjoys her solitude “because the reality is it’s hard for me to go places.” She also said she had to give up a lot of her personal life because of her career.

Speaking with TooFab alongside costars Tyler Cameron and Nick Viall ahead of the season finale, Siwa shared how being on the series changed her outlook on that very subject and how what she’s learned on the show will inform her life going forward.

“It’s weird. I don’t think I really realized how I felt until I was at Special Forces and everything was gone, everything you know goes out the drain,” she shared. “I think being in that environment, where it was a full, complete shock really opened my eyes to what my life looks like at home.”

“I wouldn’t trade my life for anything, I just realized there’s some things that are very important that I am choosing and making the conscious choice to not go to dinner with my family, to stay hidden in my room, just simple things because it’s hard for me to go places,” she continued.

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After filming wrapped, however, she came to realize that while “nothing’s gonna change” when it comes to always being approached in public, she can better accept and embrace that part of her life … instead of hide from it.

“It’s not like I’m gonna go to the grocery store and have a normal time and be able to push my cart. No, people are gonna be everywhere, it’s going to be a whole thing, but that’s just life,” she told TooFab. “I love it. I got to miss it, versus it being all I knew. It really opened my eyes to a lot.”

Viewers will have to tune in to see whether Siwa completes the Selection process when the season finale of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test airs Monday on FOX.