JoJo Siwa has said she wasn't invited to Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards over the weekend even though she was a nominee at the ceremony.
The social media star, 18, took to Instagram to clarify with fans why she didn't attend the event on Saturday night.
"A lot of you have been asking me why I'm not at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards tonight," Siwa said in a video clip. "The answer is very simple. I wasn't invited. I'm not sure why, but I just didn't get an invite."
In the post's caption, Siwa added: "I don't want anyone to think it was my choice not to go."
The former Dance Moms star was up for the favorite social music star award. Although she didn't win the prize, Siwa has a long history with Nickelodeon, which many fans think should have at least warranted her an invite to the ceremony.
Back in 2017, Siwa signed with Nickelodeon after beginning to appear on the network's shows. She went on to collaborate with them on a TV show, a movie musical, The J Team, and her recent D.R.E.A.M. Throughout this time, Siwa has never missed a Kids Choice Awards ceremony except in 2021, when she attended virtually from the set of The J Team.
Many fans are linking Siwa's absence at the 2022 ceremony to the fact that she came out last year. The star has been open and proud about her sexuality ever since making history on Dancing With The Stars as the first contestant ever to compete with a same-gender partner.
In other news, just last week, she swapped her trademark high ponytail for a cropped pixie cut.
Now, many fans are arguing that Nickelodeon excluded Siwa from the guest list not only because she came out but also because she adopted a new hairstyle.
"Jojo siwa not getting invited to the nickelodeon kids choice awards — after being the face of that network for years — right after coming out and cutting her hair makes my homophobia siren ring," tweeted one person.
"You cannot convince me otherwise that jojo siwa not getting an invite to the kids choice awards was a blatant act of homophobia," added another, while a third agreed, writing: "Nickelodeon had no problem profiting off JoJo Siwa for years when she fit into the heteronormative box. So gross of them to pull a move like that & exclude her now that she’s out."