JoJo Siwa Clarifies Her Sexuality on ‘Celebrity Big Brother’

A former children’s entertainment star is embracing a new understanding of her identity while competing on international reality television. JoJo Siwa, who initially came out as part of the LGBTQ+ community in 2021, recently shared insights about her evolving sense of self during a candid conversation captured on the Celebrity Big Brother UK livestream, according to People.

During Tuesday’s broadcast, the 21-year-old opened up to fellow housemate Danny Beard, a RuPaul’s Drag Race UK alumnus, expressing a significant personal realization about her sexuality. “I feel, like, so queer, do you know what I mean?” Siwa confided in the conversation aired on April 22.

The former Dance Moms participant elaborated on this shift in her self-identification, explaining that her time in the Big Brother house had prompted new insights. “I think that’s the thing,” she continued in the exchange. “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,” Siwa stated.

The performer framed this revelation as a transition between different aspects of LGBTQ+ identity. “I’m switching letters!” she declared during the livestreamed conversation. “I’ve dropped the L and I’ve gone to the Q, baby! That’s what I love about sexuality.”

Beard responded supportively with a playful quip acknowledging her declaration: “You are Q, honey. And you know that British people love a queue!”

This discussion follows an earlier conversation about gender identity that Siwa shared with fellow contestant Chris Hughes, a former Love Island participant. During that exchange, Siwa expressed feelings of not fully identifying with either traditional gender. “You have female, you have male. I’ve met a lot of females, love them, don’t feel like I’m them. [I’ve] met a lot of males, love them, definitely not them,” she reflected.

The dancer and YouTuber acknowledged she relates more to non-binary individuals, though she wasn’t ready to apply that label to herself yet. “[I’ve] met a lot of people in my life that are non-binary, and these beautiful, non-binary people are who I feel most like, and it’s — I don’t know — it’s not something that I want to say about myself yet, but it’s something that is confusing,” she said.

Siwa’s exploration of identity comes amid controversy on the reality program. Actor Mickey Rourke recently departed the show following inappropriate remarks about Siwa’s sexuality, with the performer responding firmly that she would “still be gay” and “still be in a very happy relationship.”

This conversation has sparked significant online discussion, with social media users speculating about Siwa’s close friendship with Hughes despite her existing relationship with influencer Kate Webbs. The couple went Instagram official in January, and Siwa has previously expressed happiness about their connection.

“I am so happy. I am in a very mature relationship, and it’s beautiful,” Siwa told People in March during the GLAAD Media Awards. “It’s taught me so much about life. It’s taught me so much about love and respect, and it’s a beautiful thing.”