New 'Dancing With the Stars' season to feature JoJo Siwa teamed with female partner: 'This is history'

The upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars will look different from any other, as social media influencer JoJo Siwa competes with a female partner, marking the first time the ABC mainstay has featured a same-sex pairing.

"You're making history, JoJo," Tyra Banks, the show's host, told Siwa on Thursday at a Television Critics Association event. "This is history."

Siwa, who announced in April that she identifies as pansexual, is excited for the opportunity.

"I think it breaks a wall that's never been broken down before," she said. "Not only do I now get to share with the world that you get to love who you want to love, but also, you get to dance with who you want to dance with. I think it's really special."

Of course, the storyline will come with obstacles, some of which Siwa has already considered.

"There [are] a lot of barriers that we're going to have to break through," she said. "Who leads? How do you dress? What shoes do you wear? But I think it's all something that I'm looking forward to."

Siwa explained that she'd received an email with the title of the show in the subject line, and she'd immediately replied yes. She didn't even read what it said at first, but then she saw that there was a question: "JoJo, would you like to be partnered with a girl or with a boy?"

She immediately replied that she wanted to dance with the former.

"It would be so incredible, it would mean so much to me — and I think so much to a lot of people around the world — if I partnered with another female," Siwa said. "So right away, it wasn't a question."

Siwa's pro partner will be revealed when the show premieres next month, but she's already considered who it will be.

"I think Lindsay [Arnold] is awesome. Jenna [Johnson] is incredible. Britt [Stewart] is amazing," Siwa said. "I think if I got one of those three I would just be so happy. I think their choreography is amazing."

Another celebrity who will pull on the sparkles is Olympic gymnast Sunisa "Suni" Lee, fresh off her gold medal-winning performance in the all-around competition at the Tokyo games.

The 13 other "star" cast members will be announced Wednesday, Sept. 8 on Good Morning America.

The new season of Dancing With the Stars premieres Monday, Sept. 20 at 8 p.m. on ABC.