JoJo Siwa has shared some surprising details about her coming out experience.
The former “Dance Moms” star, 22, has revealed that she felt “pressured” into coming out as a lesbian in an interview with the Daily Mail’s YOU Magazine published on Friday, June 20.
“When I came out at 17, I said: ‘I’m pansexual, because I don’t care,’” Siwa explained. “But then I kind of boxed myself in and I said: ‘I’m a lesbian.’ And I think I did that because of pressure.”
Siwa claimed that she felt “pressured” to come out as a lesbian from people she knew and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“From people I know, from partners I’ve had,” she continued. “You just get put in this world where you feel like, because you now have said, ‘Oh, I’m a lesbian,’ you have to be a lesbian. And the truth is, sexuality is fluid.”
Siwa, who came out publicly in 2021, previously reflected on her sexuality earlier this year while competing on “Celebrity Big Brother UK.”
Although she initially identified as a lesbian, it wasn’t until competing on the show that she realized she was queer.
“I feel, like, so queer, do you know what I mean?” she told fellow contestant and “RuPaul’s Drag Race UK” alum Danny Beard. “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.’ And I think that’s really cool.”
“I’ve dropped the L and I’ve gone to the Q baby!” Siwa added at the time. “That’s what I love about sexuality.”
More recently, the reality star-turned-musician revealed that she was dating “Love Island UK” star Chris Hughes.
The pair met while they were both competing on “Celebrity Big Brother UK,” and there were rumors that Siwa’s “beautiful” relationship with Hughes was what led to her split from her previous partner, Kath Ebbs, during the show’s season finale afterparty on April 26.
“In terms of Mr. Christopher, I don’t know,” Ebbs, who identifies as non-binary, said in a fiery TikTok clip shared after their split from Siwa.
“I have opinions,” Ebbs added in the since-deleted video. “I’m not gonna say them now. In terms of their relationship, that’s their journey, enjoy.”
Siwa later confirmed she was dating Hughes, 32, during an interview with The Guardian published on June 2.
“It’s not platonic anymore, 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,” she said of her new boyfriend.