Singer JoJo said she never thought she would struggle with addiction like her parents before she herself succumbed to drug abuse.
The 33-year-old Too Little, Too Late hitmaker — born Joanna Levesque — detailed in her new memoir Over the Influence how she spent much of her childhood in Alcoholics Anonymous meetings with her mother Diana and her late father Joel.
And while JoJo — who recently recalled how she became a sex addict hooked on drugs and alcohol — thought she could avoid the same addiction problems, she ended up dealing with similar issues anyway.
“For a while I was super self-absorbed and thought I would never be like my parents. I was like, ‘No, because I’m the strongest. I’m incredibly strong,'” she said. People on tuesday.
‘But then I thought, “Oh, what I’m doing is not better or worse. I’m my parents’ child, and I have to be aware of what’s going on inside me.”‘
Singer JoJo, 33, revealed she never thought she would struggle with addiction like her parents before falling victim to substance abuse issues herself; seen in September
JoJo’s parents, who both struggle with substance abuse, met at an AA meeting.
Diana was an alcoholic, while Joel was a substance abuser, including pills.
They divorced when she was five and she went to live with her mother, who increasingly took her to auditions for children’s television programs.
In the following years, JoJo appeared on shows such as America’s Most Talented Kids, Destination Stardom and The Rosie O’Donnell Show.
Despite her mother’s reservations about the entertainment industry, JoJo was determined to lift the family out of poverty.
“I think I really felt like it wasn’t going to work out, and that things weren’t right,” she said, saying she and Diana moved around a lot, staying with family and friends.
“I thought, ‘That’s fine, because I’m going to be famous.’”
JoJo signed with Blackground Records at the age of 12, because her mother insisted that she manage her career.
A year later, she topped the charts with her hit “Leave (Get Out)” and became an overnight celebrity.
For Diana, the transition was not easy.
“She was a single mom, she was a singer, she did what she had to do to make money cleaning houses, and then she became the manager of this young phenomenon. That’s so weird and scary,” JoJo shared.
She detailed how she spent much of her childhood in Alcoholics Anonymous meetings with her mother Diana and her late father Joel in her new memoir Over the Influence; seen with Diana in a throwback photo
“For a while I was super self-absorbed and thought I would never be like my parents. I was like, ‘No, because I’m the strongest. I’m incredibly strong,'” she told People on Tuesday; seen with father Joel
“But then I thought, ‘Oh, what I’m doing is not better or worse. I’m my parents’ child, and I have to be aware of what’s happening inside me,'” she said; seen with her parents
In her memoir, JoJo said that her mother “deeply hated” her as her career took off, often launching into heated tirades against her. However, the two have healed their wounds and remain close; seen in 2008
As JoJo’s career continued to soar, Diana became concerned about the shady practices in the music industry and became increasingly paranoid.
JoJo writes in her memoir that her mother developed a “deep resentment” toward her and often launched into violent tirades at her.
Later she started drinking again and started to deal with mental health issues that led her to become suicidal. Teenage JoJo had to step in and help her through the crisis.
“I’m so grateful she’s here,” JoJo said.
JoJo and her mother remain close and even lived together during the COVID pandemic.
In 2020, the hitmaker dedicated the song ‘Proud’ to her on the album Good to Know.
“I admire her for so many things — her level-headedness, her dedication to health, and her ability to take responsibility. That’s what I love about her. She’s such a beautiful person,” the proud daughter shared.
Meanwhile, her father was only present in her life occasionally.
Although she enjoyed spending time with him as a child and shared a love of music, his addiction and health deteriorated as she grew older, making it difficult to see him often.
When JoJo saw him, he was often struggling and had no permanent place to live.
Although she tried to help him several times, including giving him his own place and access to professionals, he could not endure the process.
Like many child stars, JoJo eventually fell into a downward spiral, turning to alcohol and drugs to combat the years of feeling like she didn’t fit in; seen in 2009
When she finally won a years-long battle against her label and was released from her contract, she quickly turned her life around, overcoming “drug, alcohol and sex addictions”; seen in 2011
“I think my dad was trapped in his body. He had so many struggles in his mind. When he passed, I had to learn that sometimes, as much as we want them around, some people complete their journey,” she said of her father, who died in November 2015.
Over time, JoJo realized that it wasn’t her job to ensure her parents’ happiness.
“I couldn’t be responsible for my parents’ lives or happiness because I felt responsible for a long time.”
JoJo’s first encounter with drinking was while on tour as a teenager, but Diana caught her and she avoided drinking for years.
After Blackground lost its distribution deal, JoJo’s frustrations with her career led her to increase her alcohol consumption and use drugs such as Adderall and Xanax. She blacked out while driving drunk on multiple occasions.
In 2023, she attended an AA meeting with a friend, though she admits she is no longer sober.
“I just felt like I needed a sense of community and home. I felt far away from myself, and that’s been a touchstone for me since I was young.”
In her starkly honest new memoir, Over the Influence, JoJo opens up about the demons she secretly battled.
She said that after she did her first photo shoot at age 12 and saw the photos, she became so critical of her appearance that she started harming herself.
And JoJo said she had become so accustomed to “sucking in her stomach” that she often felt “faint while singing” because she “wasn’t getting enough oxygen.”
Like many child stars, JoJo eventually fell into a downward spiral, turning to alcohol and drugs to combat the years of feeling like she didn’t belong.
Things only got worse when her blossoming career came to an abrupt halt due to ongoing legal issues with her record label.
She fought tirelessly to release her third album, but the record label kept delaying the release, once again making her feel like she wasn’t good enough.
JoJo’s memoir Over The Influence is now available in bookstores
The star did everything she could to impress the record company, even taking weight loss pills in the hope that they would support her music again if she looked good again.
While her album remained in limbo, her incessant partying only got worse. In her new memoir, she recounts getting “blackout drunk” at high-profile music industry parties, driving under the influence, and having sex with much older men to fuel her newfound obsession with “being desired.”
But despite everything, JoJo remained determined to return to music. When she finally won a years-long battle against her record label and had her contract terminated, everything changed.
She quickly turned her life around, overcoming her drug, alcohol and sex addictions and has since made a stormy comeback.
JoJo’s memoir Over The Influence is now available in bookstores.