Joelle Joanie Siwa was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 19, 2003, to Jessalynn Siwa (née Lombardi), a professional dance instructor from Iowa, and Tom Siwa, a chiropractor from Nebraska. From 2015 to 2016, she appeared as a dancer on two seasons of the reality television show Dance Moms alongside her mother. In 2017, Siwa signed to Nickelodeon and acted in various shows and films. In 2024, she initiated her post-Nickelodeon career with the extended play Guilty Pleasure.