American singer and former teen star JoJo Siwa is setting the record straight about her sexuality, revealing that she once felt pressured to label herself as a lesbian, even though the term didn’t fully align with her identity.
In a candid interview with the Daily Mail, the 22-year-old star explained that the confusion stemmed from both personal expectations and influences within the LGBTQ+ community.
“When I came out at 17, I said: ‘I’m pansexual, because I don’t care about gender.’ 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 revealed.
She added that the unexpected pressure came not from the public, but from people close to her—including past partners and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“You just get put in this world where you feel like, because you’ve now said ‘I’m a lesbian,’ you have to be one. But the truth is, sexuality is fluid,” she said.
Siwa, who first publicly came out as a lesbian in 2021, became a symbol of pride for many young LGBTQ+ fans. However, her recent appearance on Celebrity Big Brother sparked fresh discussion after she developed a close relationship with housemate Chris Hughes, raising eyebrows about her previously stated identity.
Now, Siwa confidently identifies as queer, saying she has “never felt more like herself” and hopes to encourage others to embrace the fluid nature of sexuality without pressure or fear.
