New year, new name - and possibly a whole new era for JoJo Siwa.
The 22-year-old “Karma” singer quietly updated her TikTok handle on New Year’s Eve, surprising fans with the switch from “JoJo Siwa” to “Joelle Siwa.”
Her 46 million TikTok followers were quick to spot the update, sparking speculation and excitement across social media.
Adding fuel to the fire, Siwa posted a lipsync video to her 2016 track Boomerang, teasing what’s to come in 2026. “Any plans for 2026?” read the on-screen text, with “Me:” above her performance. She captioned it, “What a year it is ahead ✨🤍.”
Fans react to the name change
Fans didn’t waste time flooding the comments with reactions to the new moniker.
“The name change ❤❤❤ perfect for 2026! Happy New Year ❤❤,” one user wrote. Another added, “Joelle feels so authentic, wishing you every happiness in 2026.”
For longtime followers, the change wasn’t all that shocking. One commenter pointed out, “…Her real name is Joelle, Jojo was just a nickname. Are y’all new here?”
Chris Hughes, Siwa’s boyfriend, had already dropped a clue. In a now-expired Instagram Story, Hughes referred to her as “Joelle,” confirming the name had personal significance long before the change to her TikTok handle.
Engagement talk heats up with Chris Hughes
Romance is also in the air. Siwa and Hughes went public with their relationship over the summer and recently opened up about the possibility of getting engaged.
In an interview with The Sun’s Fabulous Magazine, Hughes said, "You always get people who get engaged [at] Christmas. You see it on Instagram, every year you're gonna see somebody who gets engaged. I kinda like the idea of it not being at a time where it could be expected.”
When Siwa raised the idea of proposing herself, Hughes replied, “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.’”
Still, Siwa made her stance crystal clear, warning Hughes she had no plans to wait forever. "It shouldn’t take you seven years to work out if you want to marry someone," he responded. "So you can go off that and then that won’t ever happen."