JoJo Siwa is rewriting her identity — and this time, she’s doing it on her own terms. The former dance prodigy turned pop provocateur revealed she felt “boxed in” by calling herself a lesbian, opening up about the pressure she faced from within the LGBTQ+ community and her partners.
“I said I was pansexual at 17 because I didn’t care about gender,” JoJo shared. “But then I kind of boxed myself in and said, ‘I’m a lesbian.’ And I think I did that because of pressure.” That pressure, she says, didn’t just come from society at large — it came from inside the house. “In a weird way, I think it came a little bit from inside the community,” JoJo explained. “From people I know, from partners I’ve had.”
And in classic JoJo fashion, she didn’t just sit on that realization. She owned it — loudly. During her run on Celebrity Big Brother, she told the world: “I’m switching letters. I’ve dropped the L and I’ve gone to the Q, baby!”
From Reality TV to Real-Life Romance
It was during that same Big Brother stint where JoJo and Love Island alum Chris Hughes met and clicked in a way fans couldn’t ignore. The two described themselves as “platonic soulmates” — that is, until things heated up. Post-show, JoJo dumped non-binary DJ Kath Ebbs and was soon seen cuddling and canoodling with Hughes.
From flirty Snapchat snuggles to JoJo changing the lyrics of “Bette Davis Eyes” to “Chris Hughes’ Eyes” on stage, their vibe was far from just friendly. Eventually, JoJo confirmed what fans were already suspecting: “It’s not platonic anymore… I’m absolutely head over heels for him and he’s the same way.”
This love story might seem traditional on the surface — girl meets boy, sparks fly — but JoJo insists it’s about something deeper than that. “There’s a lot of different sexual identities,” she said. “I think there’s nothing more beautiful than somebody discovering themselves.”
Why This Matters for the Queer Community
JoJo Siwa stepping into her queerness without apology is a reminder that identity isn’t static — it’s a journey, not a fixed destination. Her candidness about the pressure to conform even within the LGBTQ+ space is a conversation many in the community have shied away from for too long.
Labels can be powerful — and limiting. For someone with JoJo’s visibility to say “I dropped the L for the Q” sends a powerful message to queer youth: you don’t have to fit neatly into anyone’s box. Your truth is yours to define — even if it changes.
Siwa’s story isn’t just celeb gossip — it’s a neon-lit reminder that being queer isn’t about who you date; it’s about honoring who you are. 🌈