Speaking at the GLAAD Media Awards on April 2, JoJo Siwa revealed that not only is she no longer a part of the movie “Bounce,” but the movie itself will no longer be produced.
“That project got put on hold, and then went away,” Siwa told Variety, “It wasn’t the one.” But before anyone got ahead of themselves, Siwa cleared the air: the movie, which was being produced by Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios, was not pulled because Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, nor was that the reason Siwa left. Instead, the movie had fallen apart months ago and was just recently pulled from Paramount.
Yet, while The Slap might not have convinced Siwa to exit the film, there seem to be another reason that could have. Back in 2021, Siwa revealed the movie included a kissing scene with a male co-star. Siwa, who identifies as pansexual, objected to the scene. “I do not want to kiss another human. Especially because it’s a man. I’m not about it,” she said, per Entertainment Weekly. Siwa was adamant about getting rid of the scene, and while the scene was ultimately pulled, Siwa said in an interview discussing the movie that if there is one thing about her — if her mind is set on something — she will not budge. For Siwa, it seems it wasn’t The Slap that inspired her to exit the movie, but instead, needing to stay true to herself.
