JoJo says she was ‘self-righteous’ about her parents’ addiction before turning to alcohol and drugs herself: ‘I thought I’d never be like my parents’

Singer JoJo revealed she never thought she would struggle with addiction the way her parents had, before succumbing to substance abuse issues herself. 

The Too Little, Too Late hitmaker, 33 — born Joanna Levesque — detailed how many of her childhood years were spent at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, with her mom Diana and late father Joel, in her new memoir Over the Influence.

And though JoJo — who recently recalled how she became a sex addict hooked on drugs and booze — believed she’d avoid the same addiction struggles, she ultimately experienced similar issues. 

‘For a while, I was super self-righteous and thought I’d never be like my parents. I was like, “No, because I’m the strongest. I’m wicked strong,'” she told People on Tuesday. 

‘But then I was like, “Oh, what I’m doing is no better or worse. I’m my parents’ child, and I need to be awake to what’s happening within myself.”‘

JoJo’s parents, both struggling with substance abuse, met in an AA meeting.

Diana was an alcoholic while Joel used substances, including pills.

They divorced when she was five, and she moved in with her mother, who began taking her to auditions for children’s TV shows.

In the following years, JoJo appeared on shows like America’s Most Talented Kids, Destination Stardom, and The Rosie O’Donnell Show. 

Despite her mom’s hesitations about the entertainment industry, JoJo was determined to lift the family out of poverty. 

‘I think I really somehow felt the sense that things weren’t going to be okay, and things weren’t okay,’ she revealed, sharing that she and Diana moved around frequently and often stayed with family and friends. 

‘I was just like, “That’s fine because I am going to be famous.”‘

JoJo signed with Blackground Records at 12 years of age, with her mom insisting on managing her career.

A year later she topped the charts with her hit ‘Leave (Get Out)’ and became an instant celebrity.

The transition wasn’t an easy one for Diana.

‘She was a single mom, she was a singer, she did what she needed to do to make money by cleaning houses, and then she became the manager of this young phenom. That’s so weird and scary,’ JoJo shared.

She detailed how many of her childhood years were spent at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, with her mom Diana and late father Joel, in her new memoir Over the Influence; seen with Diana in a throwback photo

‘For a while, I was super self-righteous and thought I’d never be like my parents. I was like, “No, because I’m the strongest. I’m wicked strong,'” she told People on Tuesday; seen with dad Joel

‘But then I was like, “Oh, what I’m doing is no better or worse. I’m my parents’ child, and I need to be awake to what’s happening within myself,”‘ she stated; seen with her paretns  

In her memoir, JoJo said her mom started to ‘deeply resent’ her when her career took off, and would often go on viscous tirades against her. However, the two have healed their wounds and remain close today; seen in 2008

While JoJo’s career continued to rise, Diana began to worry about the shady dealings inside the music industry, becoming increasingly paranoid.

In her memoir, JoJo said her mom started to ‘deeply resent’ her, and would often go on viscous tirades against her. 

She later started drinking again, and began experiencing mental health struggles that caused her to become suicidal, with teenage JoJo having to intervene and help her through the crisis.

‘I’m just so grateful that she’s here,’ JoJo shared. 

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 many things — her sobriety, her commitment to health and her ability to take accountability. I love that about her so much. She’s such a beautiful person,’ the proud daughter shared.

Meanwhile her father was an intermittent presence in her life.

Though she loved spending time with him as a child and sharing a love of music, his addiction and his health worsened as she grew older, making it difficult to see him frequently.

When JoJo did see him, he was often struggling and lacked a stable place to live.

Though she tried to help him a number of times, even setting him up with his own place as well as access to professionals, he was unable to stick with the process.

Like many child stars, JoJo eventually descended on a downward spiral that saw her turn to alcohol and drugs to combat the years she spent feeling like she didn’t belong; 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. In his passing, I had to learn that some people, as much as we want them around, sometimes that’s the completion of their journey,’ she said of her father, who died in November 2015.

With time, JoJo realized it wasn’t her job to ensure the happiness of her parents.

‘I could not be responsible for the life or happiness of either of my parents — because I did feel responsible for a long time.’

JoJo’s first encounter with drinking was while on tour as a teenager. However 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 like Adderall and Xanax. On multiple occasions, she drove while blackout drunk.

In 2023 she went to an AA meeting with a friend, though she adds she is not sober today.

‘I was just feeling like I needed a sense of community and home. I felt far away from myself, and that has been a touchstone for me since I was young.’

In her extremely honest new memoir, Over the Influence, JoJo spoke in detail about the demons that she battled in secret.

She revealed that after participating in her first photoshoot at age 12 and seeing the images, she was so critical of her looks that she started self harming.

And JoJo said she became so used to ‘sucking in her stomach’ that she would often ‘feel faint while singing’ because she ‘wasn’t getting enough oxygen.’

Like many child stars, JoJo eventually descended on a downward spiral that saw her turn to alcohol and drugs to combat the years she spent feeling like she didn’t belong.

Things only got worse when her booming career came to a screeching halt amid ongoing legal problems with her label.

She fought tirelessly to release her third album, but the label kept delaying it, leaving her feeling once again like she wasn’t good enough.

JoJo’s memoir Over The Influence is now available in bookstores

The star tried everything to impress the record’s executives, even turning to pills to try to lose weight in the hopes that they would get behind her music again if she looked the part.

While her album sat in limbo, her incessant partying only got worse and, in her new memoir, she recalled getting ‘blackout drunk’ at important industry parties, driving while under the influence, and having sex with much older men to fuel a newfound obsession with ‘being desired.’

But through it all, JoJo stayed determined to return to music again and when she finally won a years-long battle against her label and was released from her contract, it changed everything.

She quickly turned her life around, overcoming ‘drug, alcohol, and sex addictions,’ and has since had a booming comeback.

JoJo’s memoir Over The Influence is now available in bookstores.