JoJo Siwa reflected on her friendship with Elton John while attending the singer’s final U.S. tour date in Los Angeles on Sunday.
“I remember the first time I ever got to meet Elton was backstage at one of his concerts and I got to talk to him for 45 minutes,” she told E! News at L.A.’s famed Dodger Stadium. “I was only 15 and that conversation changed my life forever.”
Almost half a decade later, the 19-year-old got the surprise of a lifetime when Sir Elton called her after she publicly came out, saying, “”Hello JoJo, darling. This is Elton.’ And I was like, ‘Mom, get the camera out. It’s Elton John.’
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“To see the way that the world accepted Elton John for who he was, Freddie Mercury for who he was,” Siwa continued, “All of those people who came before me in the gay community made me feel like, ‘Oh, it’s going to be OK. Those people are who they are, people know them and people love them.'”
Siwa hit the red carpet wearing a re-creation of the Rocket Man’s famous orange plumed costume with devil horns, and she wasn’t the only star who made an appearance during Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodgers Stadium, which streamed live on Disney+. Dua Lipa joined John for their 2021 Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix),” while Kiki Dee was on hand for “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” and Brandi Carlile duetted with her pal on “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.”