If you still think of JoJo Siwa as the girl with the giant neon bow and a glitter-cannon personality, you’ve missed a lot. Like, a lot lot. The "Karma" singer hasn't just swapped rhinestones for black leather and Gene Simmons-inspired face paint; she’s spent the last few years navigating a very public, very messy, and very human evolution of her identity.
Honestly, it’s been a rollercoaster.
People love a tidy narrative. They want someone to come out, pick a letter from the LGBTQ+ alphabet, and stay there forever. But JoJo? She’s basically spent the last few years proving that life doesn't work that way. Between high-profile breakups and a stint on Celebrity Big Brother UK that changed everything, her journey with her sexuality has been anything but linear.
The "CEO of Gay Pop" Era and the Lesbian Label
For a while, JoJo leaned hard into the "lesbian" label. After coming out in 2021—initially wearing a shirt that said "Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever."—she eventually settled on calling herself a lesbian. She even jokingly (and controversially) tried to claim she was the "CEO of gay pop" during her edgy 2024 rebrand.
It felt definitive. Until it wasn't.
In early 2025, while filming Celebrity Big Brother, JoJo had what she called a "switching letters" moment. While talking to RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard, she dropped a bombshell that caught fans off guard. She basically said she was "dropping the L" and moving to the "Q."
"I’ve always told myself I’m a lesbian, and I think being here I’ve realized: 'Oh, I’m not a lesbian, I’m queer,'" she told Danny. It wasn't just a casual comment; she literally shouted "F--- the L, I'm going to the Q!"
Why the shift?
She’s since admitted that she felt a massive amount of pressure to "box herself in." When you’re one of the most visible young queer people on the planet, people expect you to be a mascot for a specific group. JoJo felt that weight. She’s mentioned on podcasts like Reign with Josh Smith that the pressure didn't just come from the outside—it came from within the community and even from past partners.
Why Chris Hughes Changed the Conversation
The real "wait, what?" moment for the internet came in mid-2025. After months of saying they were just "like siblings," JoJo confirmed she was dating Love Island alum Chris Hughes.
Yeah, a man.
The backlash was instant and, frankly, pretty brutal. People felt "betrayed." They accused her of faking her sexuality for clout or "turning straight." It got so loud that she had to go on a mini-press tour just to explain that being in a relationship with a man doesn't delete her history.
"My past doesn’t get to be discredited because I’m in love with a man," she argued on Smith Sisters Live. She pointed out that her first love was a woman, and she’s dated non-binary people (like influencer Kath Ebbs) and women (like Kylie Prew and Avery Cyrus) in the past.
She's essentially living the definition of fluidity.
Understanding the "Queer" Pivot
So, what does it mean when JoJo says she’s "queer" instead of a "lesbian"? For her, it seems to be about breathing room.
- Gender Identity: She’s been open about her own confusion here too. On Celebrity Big Brother, she cried while explaining that she doesn't feel like a "female" or a "male." She said she feels most like the non-binary people she’s met in her life.
- Fluidity: She’s explicitly said that "love is love" goes both ways.
- The "Family" Aspect: She views the LGBTQ+ community as a broad rainbow, not a set of rigid silos.
The "queer" label allows her to date Chris Hughes without feeling like a "traitor" to her identity. It also leaves the door open for whoever she might fall for next. In 2026, she seems much more settled in this "natural" era. The heavy costumes are mostly gone (unless she’s on stage), her hair is long and natural, and she seems... well, happy.
What This Teaches Us About Identity
JoJo Siwa is a case study in growing up under a microscope. Most people figure this stuff out in private. They date the "wrong" person, change their mind about their labels, and experiment with their style without millions of people calling them a "fraud" on TikTok.
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She didn't have that luxury.
If there's one thing to take away from the saga of JoJo’s sexuality, it’s that labels are tools, not cages. You can use them while they fit and put them down when they don't.
Moving Forward
If you're following JoJo's journey or navigating your own, keep these things in mind:
- Labels can change. Just because you said you were one thing at 17 doesn't mean you're stuck there at 22.
- Fluidity is real. Dating someone of a different gender doesn't "erase" your queerness.
- Ignore the "Gatekeepers." The loudest voices online often have the least nuance. Your identity is about your internal experience, not how well you perform for a specific subculture.
The next time you see a headline about JoJo Siwa, remember that she’s probably still figuring it out—just like the rest of us. The only difference is she’s doing it in front of a camera.
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To keep up with JoJo's latest moves, look for her upcoming 2026 tour dates, where she’s expected to blend her "Karma" intensity with this new, more "natural" version of herself. Check her official social channels for the most direct updates on her music and life.