JoJo Siwa Seemingly Plays Into Beyoncé & Sean “Diddy” Combs Conspiracy Theory With Award Show Shoutout

JoJo Siwa appeared to allude to a conspiracy theory that alleges Beyoncé is connected to Sean “Diddy” Combs’ amid his sex-trafficking charges during a speech at the Industry Dance Awards.

JoJo Siwa‘s guilty pleasure may be conspiracy theories.

The “Karma” singer raised eyebrows when she gave a shoutout that seemingly played into a viral theory that alleges Beyoncé is connected to Sean “Diddy” Combs amid his arrest for sex-trafficking while accepting her trophy at the 2024 Industry Dance Awards.

“I also have to say thank you to Beyoncé just so that we can keep the dancing community safe,” JoJo said while onstage Oct. 8. “Beyoncé, you’ve got great music. We all love to dance to it. We all love you.”

In response to the crowd’s surprised reaction to her callout, the 21-year-old added, “Someone had to—and I will be the someone.”

JoJo’s speech appeared to reference a theory circulating on the internet that artists in the music industry have historically thanked Beyoncé at award shows to allegedly avoid seeming like a threat to the Grammy winner, whom many conspiracists accuse of being involved in the sex-trafficking and racketeering allegations that led to Diddy’s arrest last month.

And while the circulating theory is not based on any evidence and has not been publicly addressed by Beyoncé, it has since sparked a trend where users thank the “Halo” singer for random acts online in a sarcastic manner to avoid the possibility of “retaliation” from her or Diddy.

And fans had mixed feelings on JoJo’s shoutout, with some finding the Beyoncé mention to be all in good fun.

“Idc she funny for this,” one user commented on an Oct. 9 TikTok video of her speech, while another added, “This is the first intentionally funny thing she’s ever done.”

Others didn’t think the comment landed with her audience, with one user writing, “The silence is so awkward.”

And though Beyoncé hasn’t responded directly to JoJo’s comments, she and husband Jay-Z recently shut down another accusation relating to Diddy, who was taken into custody on Sept. 16 and remains behind bars on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Chelsea Guglielmino/WireImage

In fact, the couple’s attorney recently issued a statement in response to an interview Piers Morgan aired on his U.K. show with Jaguar Wright, during which she claimed Beyoncé and Jay-Z had more “victims” than Diddy, who faces sexual assault allegations from 120 people in addition to his arrest charges.

“There’s rumors, and then there’s nonsense, and this is one step further,” the couple’s lawyer Alex Spiro told TMZ in an interview Oct. 9. “This is a formal and pointed accusation of something.”

Ultimately, Spiro noted that the “demonstrably false” interview was removed from the internet by Morgan at the request of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, adding, “I think he made the wise choice and acted accordingly.”

As for Diddy, he has since denied all the allegations against him.

“As Mr. Combs’ legal team has emphasized, he cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus,” his attorney Erica Wolff said in a statement to E! News. “That said, Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors.”

For a full breakdown of Diddy’s ongoing legal battle, keep reading.

Federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed search warrants at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Los Angeles and Miami properties on March 25, multiple law enforcement sources confirmed to NBC News.

The sources told the outlet the warrant was out of the Southern District of New York, and a spokesperson for HSI New York confirmed to E! News it “executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our local law enforcement partners.”

Law enforcement sources told NBC News the music mogul was in the Miami area when the search warrants were executed.

Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images

News about the investigation broke after Combs faced allegations of sexual misconduct in lawsuits filed by multiple accusers starting in November, with the musician denying the allegations.

“Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday,” he wrote in a December statement posted on Instagram. “Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”

Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock

Diddy’s Attorney Speaks Out

The day after HSI executed the search warrants at Combs’ L.A. and Miami properties, his lawyer spoke out.

“Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences,” attorney Aaron Dyer said in a March 26 statement to E! News. “There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated.”

Dyer noted Combs “was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities.”

“Despite media speculation, neither Mr. Combs nor any of his family members have been arrested nor has their ability to travel been restricted in any way,” his lawyer’s statement continued. “This unprecedented ambush—paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence—leads  to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.”

Toni Anne Barson/Getty Images

And Dyer expressed Combs’ intent to defend himself.

“There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations,” he added. “Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”

Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images for Sean “Diddy” Combs

Details About the Raid Revealed

As for what actually went down during the searches, multiple law enforcement sources familiar with the warrant told NBC News authorities with the Department of Homeland Security seized phones from Combs’ home in Miami before he was scheduled to travel to the Bahamas, and several sources familiar with the matter added that guns were discovered during the search.

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One source familiar with the matter also told NBC News three women and one man were interviewed by prosecutors and investigators from the Southern District of New York about allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault, the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms purportedly tied to Combs.

Miami-Dade Police Department

Diddy’s Associate Brendan Paul Arrested on Suspicion of Drug Possession

On the same day the search warrants were executed at Combs’ Miami and Los Angeles properties, one of his associates, Brendan Paul, was arrested by the Miami-Dade police on suspicion of drug possession, a law enforcement source familiar with the matter told NBC News.

According to the Miami-Dade arrest affidavit obtained by the outlet, Paul was taken into custody for allegedly possessing suspected cocaine and suspected marijuana candy.

Prison records obtained by NBC News show Paul was released on March 26 after posting bond.

“We do not plan on trying this case in the media,” Paul’s attorney Brian Bieber said in a statement obtained by the outlet, “all issues will be dealt with in court.”

In May, Paul accepted a plea deal, with his lawyer Bieber telling People, “Brendan accepted the prosecutor’s offer to permit his entry into the diversion program which, after completion, the case against him will be dismissed in its entirety.”

Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images for Sean “Diddy” Combs

Diddy Arrested in New York

He was arrested in the lobby of a New York hotel on Sept. 16, 2024, according to NBC News. It’s unclear what Combs has been charged with and if the arrest has any potential connection to the raids.

“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” his lawyer Marc Agnifilo said in a statement to E! News. “He is an imperfect person but Is not criminal. To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges.”

The lawyer added, “Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

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Diddy Charged With Sex Trafficking & Racketeering

After Combs was arrested based on the sealed indictment, the indictment was unsealed on Sept. 17.

The 54-year-old was charged with racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; as well as transportation to engage in prostitution, according to court documents obtained by NBC News.

The indictment alleged Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct” for more than a decade, with prosecutors saying the purported behavior started around 2008.

“To do so,” the documents stated, “Combs relied on the employees, resources, and influence of the multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled—creating a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.”

According to NBC News, Combs pleaded not guilty and was denied bail.

“He’s going to fight this with all of his energy and all of his might,” his attorney Marc Agnifilo told reporters outside the courthouse prior to the arraignment, “and the full confidence of his lawyers.”

JOCE/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images; Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Diddy Is Held Without Bail in New York Facility

Following his arrest, Combs was held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center where he was denied a $50 million bond. The music mogul was also placed on suicide watch, which a source told E! News is a customary procedure for high-profile inmates. He was since taken off.

He was assigned the same area of the jail as cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried, a source told NBC News.

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Comedian Jeff Wittek Says He Attended “Freak Off”

Comedian Jeff Wittek, 34, came forward Sept. 29 to say he attended one of Diddy’s “freak off” parties around 2010 in a Miami mansion.

“It was like eight stories high and it just kept going up,” Wittek said on Jeff FM, “and the higher you went, the weirder s–t was going on.”

“I saw live sex happen that night,” he continued. “That’s the first time I saw that happen ever in my life. And did I partake? No, but I got f–king drunk there.”

As Wittek put it, “It’s just crazy. I was literally there. I lived through it.”

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

Diddy Accused of 120 New Sexual Assault Cases

In an Oct. 1 press conference, attorney Tony Buzbee detailed that 120 people had come forward with new sexual assault allegations against the rapper.

The allegations against Combs, Buzbee noted in a press conference with NBC News, include, “violent sexual assault or rape, facilitated sex with a controlled substance, dissemination of video recordings, sexual abuse of minors.”

A lawyer for the rapper, Erica Wolff, later responded to the allegations, emphasizing that Combs maintains his innocence.

“He cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus,” she said. “That said, Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors.”

 

George Pimentel/WireImage

Diddy Accused of Abusing Minors

One of the 120 accusers was only 9 years old when they were allegedly assaulted by Combs, their lawyer Tony Buzbee said in an Oct. 1 press conference, per NBC News.

According to the attorney, “25 of the accusers were minors at the time of the alleged incidents.”

John Salangsang/BFA/Shutterstock

Diddy’s Mom Janice Small Combs Defends the Rapper

“It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth, but for a narrative created out of lies,” Janice’s attorney Natlie G. Figgers shared in a statement on her behalf to The Hollywood Reporter Oct. 6. “To bear witness what seems to be like a public lynching of my son before he has had the opportunity to prove his innocence is a pain too unbearable to put into words. Like every human being, my son deserves to have his day in court, to finally share his side, and to prove his innocence.”

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Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Lawyer Calls Out Piers Morgan Over Diddy Comparisons

Beyoncé and Jay-Z‘s lawyer spoke out after Piers Morgan‘s TV guest Jaguar Wright claimed the couple had more “victims” than Diddy.

“There’s rumors, and then there’s nonsense, and this is one step further,” lawyer Alex Spiro told TMZ Oct. 9. “This is a formal and pointed accusation of something.”

Their attorney told Piers to “remove that false accusation,” which the host later did and apologized.

“As I noted in the moment,” Piers said on his Oct. 8  show, “they were not present to respond or defend themselves. But now they have: their lawyer has contacted us to say those claims are totally false and have no basis in fact.”