JoJo Siwa forced to clarify her sexuality again after Chris Hughes relationship sparks ‘confusion’

JoJo Siwa is once again having to address questions about her sexuality after her relationship with Chris Hughes triggered a fresh round of ‘confusion’ online.

Ever since the Dance Moms star went public with the former Love Island contestant, whom she met on Celebrity Big Brother, a chunk of the conversation has drifted away from the couple themselves and landed right back on her identity. Instead of simply reacting to the fact that she is happy with Hughes, some people have apparently decided that dating a man must mean something bigger has changed.

That, it seems, is where the frustration has come from. That’s because while Siwa’s love life may look different to some people now, the internet’s rush to draw its own conclusions seems to have become a story in itself.

JoJo said dating Chris Hughes does not erase her past (Instagram/@chrishughes)

In a new interview with Us Weekly, the 22-year-old addressed the reaction directly and made her stance very clear.

She said: “I clearly am not a straight human being. I could never say that I’m straight. Am I in a straight relationship? Yes. Am I in love with a man? Yes! Do I want to spend the rest of my life with him? Absolutely. But does that discredit my past? Absolutely not. Zero”

It is a pretty blunt response to the assumptions that have followed her relationship with Hughes, and one that leaves very little room for misreading.

Siwa also said the backlash had been ‘confusing’, particularly because some of the same people who were previously supportive of her had become critical now that she is with a man.

She reflected on first coming out at 17, too, making it clear that her past relationships and experiences still matter and remain part of who she is now.

JoJo made clear she does not identify as straight (Amy Sussman/Staff/Getty Images)

Rather than stepping back from those conversations, Siwa said she plans to keep sharing her journey openly and continue advocating as part of the LGBTQ+ community, despite the reaction her relationship has triggered.

What’s more, for anyone still trying to pin down the exact label she feels most connected to, she did address that, too. She explained:

“And so that’s where, all of a sudden people forget these beautiful terms, queer, pansexual, bisexual, plus the other terms that I could name, but those three, really relate to me. And if I had to put a label on it, just to basically shut people down, yeah, I would say I’m probably pansexual.”

“I fell in love with humans. I’ve dated girl, I’ve dated non-binary, and now I date boy, and I don’t know, I think just the love is, I’m very lucky to find a love as strong as I have with Chris.”