A simple explanation of why JoJo Siwa is dating Chris Hughes after coming out as a lesbian

JoJo Siwa’s recent statements about being “head over heels” for Chris Hughes have created some confusion on Twitter, after all, she came out as a lesbian in 2021 and has been the self-declared pioneer of “gay pop” ever since.

Like many people, I rolled my eyes hard at the idea of JoJo Siwa and Chris Hughes dating in the Celebrity Big Brother house earlier this year. Yes, they were very close, and yes, they were very touchy-feely, but relationships between queer people and straight people are often like that. Imagine my shock this week when they seemingly confirmed the relationship in an interview alongside a picture which looked as though Chris was introducing his newborn to the world – it was very new-mother coded.

“It’s not platonic any more, and it’s been a beautiful development, a beautiful connection, and I’m absolutely head over heels for him, and he’s the same way,” JoJo said this week.

Sexuality can be confusing – at least for heterosexual people – so let’s run down everything she’s said, what her sexuality means, and why she is still as gay as ever.

JoJo Siwa came out as a lesbian in 2021

Credit: JoJo Siwa

Two years ago, when JoJo Siwa was 17, she came out as a lesbian in perhaps the most rockstar way possible: By posting a picture of herself in a “best gay cousin” t-shirt alongside the caption “My cousin got me a new shirt.” Since then, she’s never shied away from opening up about her sexuality, going as far as to say she was pioneering a new genre of music called “gay pop” – I still have no idea what that actually means.

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Over the next few years, JoJo dated Kylie Prew, a friend turned flame, Katie Mills, Avery Cyrus, Dakayla Wilson, and most recently, Kath Ebbs. We all know how that last relationship ended, with JoJo ditching her girlfriend at the Big Brother wrap party, ouch!

She updated us in the Big Brother house

Credit: ITV

Things seem to have changed for JoJo Siwa over the last few months, shedding her previous lesbian identity at the same time people were speculating about her Chris Hughes romance. In the time-honoured queer tradition of speaking to elder gays in the community, JoJo Siwa detailed how the lesbian label just wasn’t capturing her true feelings while talking with drag performer Danny Beard.

“I feel so queer,” JoJo confessed, as Danny responded, “I’m queer!”

She continued: “I’ve never – I think I’ve always told myself, I’m a lesbian. I think you – I think being here – I’ve realised I am not a lesbian, I’m queer. And I think that’s really cool, I’m switching letters! I’ve dropped the L and I’ve gone to the Q, baby! That’s what I love about sexuality.”

She echoed those sentiments in the interview this week, revealing how the term queer “encompasses how I am, and who I am” while adding: “There’s a lot of different sexual identities. I think there’s nothing more beautiful than somebody discovering themselves.”

What does queer actually mean?

But here’s where people get confused, because for the longest time, the word queer was used as a derogatory statement until we reclaimed it! Take that, haters. According to Stonewall, queer can be described as “A term used by those wanting to reject specific labels of sexual orientation and/or gender identity.”

Credit: JoJo Siwa

Simply put, it’s an umbrella term that is often used to describe the vast array of sexualities, gender identities, and everything in between. Sometimes, the terms gay and lesbian just don’t cut it, and queer is a nice word to encapusalte various expressions wihout issuing a 50-page thesis on your identity. In 2025, when out trans brothers and sisters are facing continued persecution, the term queer is also a way to close the gap between the letters of LGBTQ+. Those letters might be separate words, but their fight is our fight.

So yes, irritated boomer on Twitter, JoJo could just come out as bisexual – but that’s not what she identifies as. JoJo Siwa is not bisexual, she’s not a lesbian, she is queer – and that’s perfectly fine.

One final time for good measure, and shout it with me here: Queer people can date people of the opposite sex and still be gay as hell.

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Featured image credit: Chris Hughes/JoJo Siwa