Sir Ian McKellen Sends Sweet Message of Support to JoJo Siwa

YouTube and TikTok influencer and former Dance Moms star JoJo Siwa just got a huge message of support from legendary actor Sir Ian McKellen. The 17-year-old singer, dancer, actress, and influencer had come out in a series of social media posts last week, drawing both support and the wrath of some of her followers. Her home was frighteningly 'swatted' shortly after she came out, and she very publicly put a homophobic mom in her place with a one-word response. But on Thursday, Siwa received a strong and affirming message of support and wisdom from Gandalf himself.

"I hope @itsjojosiwa puts aside any negative reaction to her coming-out, at a time when she deserves praise and empathy for taking control of her life in such a public way."

It was just the message of support Siwa needed after all the attention she'd been receiving recently, some good and some not so good.

Siwa had trended on Twitter a few times last week after she appeared in two TikTok videos which left fans speculating about her sexuality. In one she lip-synced to Lada Gaga's anthem "Born this Way" while in another she was seen dancing to the lyrics "one of us" with other LGBTQ+ creators. But Siwa left no doubt and confirmed she was coming out when she posted a pic showing her wearing a shirt gifted from her cousin.

"My cousin got me a new shirt," she posted.

The talented Siwa later told her fans that while coming out may seem scare there's a ton of support out there. Siwa saw that support tenfold online after her announcement.

Not everyone was in agreement, though. One mother tweeted she was never going to let her daughter watch Siwa again. Her epic one-word response of "okay!" showed sometimes less is more.

More frighteningly, though Siwa's home was "swatted" shortly after she came out. Swatting is where someone calls the police and claims something is seriously wrong or that people are in danger at a specific location to get law enforcement to respond in full tactical gear and lock it down.

"Our house got 'swatted,'" Siwa said in a livestream of the Instagram account of Nate Javier who is her videographer. "Basically what happened is we were at our house and there were a bunch of police to get out of the house."

Siwa described a frightening experience.

"Basically we went outside hands up because we obviously have to follow the rules and do what you're supposed to do," she explained. "And then the police were saying that somebody had called and made a claim and then all of a sudden paparazzi came from around the corner."

She made clear that she's not going to let the haters bring her down, saying that she's "really happy and that's all that matters."

While she can't please all the haters, she now has Sir Ian McKellen offering wisdom and support. With Gandalf by her side, the haters don't stand a chance.

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