Dance Moms star and singer JoJo Siwa has opened up about a surprising crush that she once had on Australian conservationist and media personality Robert Irwin, the son of Steve Irwin, revealing that she messaged his social media account to spark a conversation.

Siwa was being interviewed on a Brisbane breakfast radio show, Stav, Abby & Matt on B105 FM, when she got candid about having a crush on Irwin that arose in 2020.

Siwa was so interested in Irwin at the time that she decided to directly message (DM) the Aussie star. Irwin replied, which took Siwa by surprise.

“She was messaging Robert Irwin because she had a bit of a crush,” said Abby Coleman, one of the show’s hosts, on Wednesday.

“There was a point in time when I was like, ‘Wow, he’s really cute!’ I was really into him!” Siwa said in response as she laughed.

But Siwa – who has recently garnered significant attention for her ‘edgy’ rebrand and the release of the song Karma – revealed that the crush did not last for very long.

“Then he finally responded to a DM and I was like, ‘Alright, I’m over it now’,” she said.

It wasn’t until 2021 that Siwa surprised her fans with the news that she had come out as pansexual.

The revelations follow shortly after Siwa revealed that she had spent tens of thousands of dollars undergoing cosmetic surgery as a result of being “insecure”.

When asked what the most expensive thing she was wearing at the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards was, Siwa abruptly said, “My teeth.”

“These motherf***ers cost me (US) 50 grand (NZ$84.5k),” she revealed in the video in reference to her veneers.

The Dance Moms star recently disclosed being significantly affected by insecurity and anxiety, which was something that prompted her change in brand.

“I judge myself at everything. I’m a very insecure person,” she revealed in November 2023 as she competed on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.

“Everything gets judged. You know, people told me I have a receding hairline; they don’t know that I have a stress rash and that’s why I’m balding right here. A 12-year-old shouldn’t have a stress rash on their head that makes them bald, but I did.”

Her effort to look past her insecurity seems to be paying off though, as Siwa rocked a Kiss-inspired outfit at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards. Fans were quick to point out that Siwa had dropped the high ponytail, a look that was originally tied to her child-friendly brand.

“People are afraid of things they don’t know,” Siwa told E! News at the award show. “Things can be scary for people. New things can be very, very scary.”

Gene Simmons, the frontman of Kiss, quickly backed up Siwa’s look by giving it a tick of approval to reporters.

“JoJo is cool. Anybody who doesn’t get it is just jealous, period,” Simmons said to TMZ. “Never be ordinary. Always be extraordinary. JoJo is extraordinary, and she looks cool.”

He added: “Of course, she looks like me, but that’s another story.”