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If there’s one reality television personality who has captivated audiences since her Dance Moms days, look no further than JoJo Siwa. The 22-year-old singer’s extraordinary rise in the industry is proof of determination, pure grit, and perseverance. From a judge on So You Think You Can Dance to the first contestant to appear in a same-sex pairing on Dancing With the Stars, Siwa’s rise in the reality TV space has proven we cannot get enough of her. And she’s well aware of that desire, which is why she made her brazen move on Black Friday.
Before she was set to hit the stage for a special Black Friday performance at the Mall of America in Minnesota, the pop star was hospitalized with “excruciating” stomach pain. In a TikTok video posted the following day, the “Karma” singer shared that she suffered a ruptured ovarian cyst that caused internal bleeding. But that’s not the shocking part of the story. Even though she revealed that she was “gonna black out,” she still took to the stage on painkillers to perform for her fans. An extraordinary feat, it does raise a major question about the high-stakes pressure reality stars face to push through illness to appease that fervent desire.
From Ambulance to Applause: The Medical Scare
Black Friday was a wild ride for Siwa. On Friday, before the show, Siwa posted a photo of herself being wheeled into an ambulance on a stretcher, sparking a flurry of fan concern. After admitting to stomach pains, she revealed that it had become “really bad” hours before the scheduled performance. While trying to shake it off with a nap and then a bath, it didn’t help. “All of a sudden I was like, I have to get out immediately ’cause I knew I was gonna black out, and I felt like I was gonna throw up,” she revealed. Ultimately, deciding with her mom, Jessalynn Siwa, they opted to call 9-1-1, where medics arrived and transported her to the hospital. Though they gave her a warning that it could be a wait time of up to 12 hours.
Ultimately, she was seen in less than three hours, where she was administered pain medication and an ultrasound. It was ultimately revealed that the cyst on her ovaries had burst and was bleeding into her abdominal cavity. “Anytime that the blood in your stomach moves, that’s the bleeding in the stomach. It’s like brutal pain, and long story short, [it] should revolve itself. It should stop on its own,” she shared. Yet, this didn’t deter her from performing that evening. She warned fans before the performance that she might need to pull herself out if it hurt while dancing, but she was there for her fans nevertheless. Receiving immense praise from her fans, Siwa’s decision to return to the stage for her hour-long set was her own.
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When Should Reality Stars Say Enough?
Even with a triumphant day, 2025 has been a dodgy year for Siwa. After initially making headlines due to Mickey Rourke‘s treatment of her on Celebrity Big Brother UK, she continued to catch attention with a series of headline making moments. Spending a lot oftime having to address comments, from her separation after finding a romance on TV with a man, and then claiming she had felt pressure to come out, it didn’t stop her from doing her thing. There has always been an expectation to be present, even during turmoil. For Siwa, she overcompensated, focusing on performing to push the controversy aside. Her ordeal is a case study for the mental and physical toll of performing under extreme conditions.
Earlier this year, multi-hyphenate superstar Brandy left the stage during The Boy Is Mine Tour with Monica, leaving fans utterly perplexed. She later revealed that due to dehydration and feeling faint, she abruptly ended her set, stating that while she tried to continue, it was impossible to perform properly. Though there certainly were scores of disappointed fans, it was seen as an admirable move to protect herself first and foremost. During Season 2 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Jen Affleck opted to stop filming the rest of the season to take care of her mental health after postpartum depression. She pulled through later in the year, appearing on Dancing With the Stars Season 34.
Rarely have reality stars found the strength to say, “Enough is enough,” and find the courage to take a step back. The pressure to be always “on” in the age of social media has caused health and psychological decay in society in general. The ramifications are put into full perspective when you’re a celebrity presence. There should be a balance between fame, health, and professional expectations, but whose job is it to determine the line? The ultimate decision is on the individual, but the shows, networks, and management teams should be there to support, forgetting the bottom line in the end.
Dancing With the Stars is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.
