JoJo Siwa Will No Longer Star in Will Smith's 'Bounce'
Film/TV

JoJo Siwa Will No Longer Star in Will Smith's 'Bounce'

JoJo Siwa was set to star in an upcoming Will Smith movie, Bounce, but that's no longer the case. Yesterday, April 6, an official announcement was made that Siwa and Paramount, who is co-producing the movie along with Smith's own Overbook Entertainment, have parted ways.

While the news is fresh off the press, it appears that Siwa knew that this was coming. While she attended the 2022 GLAAD Media Awards recently, the entertainer was asked about the movie and said, “That project got put on hold, and then went away. It wasn’t the one.”

“I normally stay out of all politics, it’s not my gig,” she continued. “But, I will say that being kind to one another is very important. I think that can go both ways, kindness.”

Last year, Siwa spoke about the film that was first announced in 2020, revealing that the script included her kissing a male costar. “I’m madly in love and I do not want to kiss another human,” she said. “Especially because it’s a man. I’m not about it. I’m trying to get it pulled so badly.”

Varietyreports that the project fell apart a couple of months ago and it has nothing to do with Smith’s slap at the Oscars.

Ever since Smith slapped Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife, Jada-Pinkett Smith, the actor has seen some serious blow back from Hollywood. Him resigning from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences wasn’t enough penance for his actions, apparently, with several of his movies having been stalled or canceled outright.

One such film is Netflix's Fast and Loose, which was set to be directed by David Leitch, who pulled out a week before the Oscars. Netflix was rushing to look for a replacement but, after the slap, the project has reportedly lost a lot of its urgency. Similarly, Bad Boys 4, which was in active development at Sony, has now been put on “pause” as fallout from the slap continues to mount.

Photos via Getty/ JC Olivera/ Carlos Alvarez