JoJo Siwa kicks off 2026 by changing her name

JoJo Siwa quietly changed her name on some of her social media accounts at the start of 2026.

The musician, dancer and internet personality, 22, made the amend to her TikTok profile on New Year’s Eve, fans spotted.

The “Karma” singer is now listed as “Joelle Siwa” to her 46 million TikTok followers, instead of JoJo.

In a Reddit thread, fans noted that Siwa’s boyfriend, British reality star Chris Hughes, has also referred to her as “Joelle” in a since-expired Instagram story.

Siwa was born Joelle Joanie Siwa but has been going by the nickname JoJo since she first broke through on the reality TV show Dance Moms alongside her mother, Jessalynn Siwa, in 2015.

In her final TikTok of 2025, Siwa teased a big year ahead as she lip-synced to her 2016 song “Boomerang”.

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“Any plans for 2026?” she wrote, followed by “Me” and then her answering with the lyric: “I’ma come back like a boomerang.”

She captioned the video: “What a year it is ahead.”

A number of fans commenting on the clip acknowledged the name change, with one writing: “Joelle feels so authentic, wishing you every happiness in 2026.”

Another follower said: “The name change… Perfect for 2026! Happy New Year.”

In a joint interview with The Sun’s Fabulous magazine in December, Siwa and Hughes discussed their plans for their first Christmas together, while also talking about their future.

Hughes said he disliked the idea of proposing around the festive period, remarking: “You always get people who get engaged [at] Christmas. You see it on Instagram, every year you’re gonna see somebody who gets engaged.”

He added: “I kinda like the idea of it not being at a time where it could be expected.”

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He also shut down any notion of Siwa proposing to him, stating: “I’ve [spoken] to people about this before you, obviously. And I actually said, ‘I think if I was proposed to, that would make me really uncomfortable.’”

Siwa joked that if Hughes hadn’t asked her after seven years together, she would take matters into her own hands.

He responded: “It shouldn’t take you seven years to work out if you want to marry someone. So you can go off that and then that won’t ever happen.”

The pair first met earlier this year in the Celebrity Big Brother house in the UK, growing close during their time on the reality show while claiming their relationship was “platonic”.

After leaving the house, the duo were frequently spotted together, leading to further speculation that they were dating, which they denied.

Siwa then split with her partner, Kath Ebbs, before confirming she was dating Hughes in June 2025.

In November, she shared a health update with fans after being rushed to the hospital shortly before a scheduled performance.