Last week, JoJo Siwa confirmed that she was a member of the LGBTQ community. JoJo had never technically hid that fact, but given her prior relationship with fellow social media star, Mark Bontempo, JoJo wanted to officially come out publicly and did so on social media. Another motivating factor was the encouragement she got from her girlfriend. JoJo has not named her girlfriend, but while she called in to The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, she not only gushed over their relationship, JoJo said it was her girlfriend’s encouragement that helped her come out.
JoJo Siwa is opening up just weeks after revealing that she is gay.
”I was doing TikTok with the people in the Pride House… and I’m like, ‘I think this TikTok is going to out me,’” she shared. “I was like, ‘I don’t really mind, it is true. I do have the most amazing, wonderful, perfect, most beautiful girlfriend in the whole world. It’s not something I’m ashamed of, I just haven’t shown the internet yet.’”
“The day after I posted on TikTok, I was on FaceTime with her and we were talking about it, and talking about all of the love that came in and technically I still hadn’t confirmed it,” she says. “And I was like, I kind of want to post this picture [wearing a ‘Best Gay Cousin Ever’ shirt]… She was super encouraging like, ‘Do it!’ I was like, ‘Alright, I did it.’”
Even though things are far better than before for LGBTQ youth today, it’s still a big deal for some to come out. Especially for someone with 30M followers like JoJo. She seemed prepared to weather the storm, but her girlfriend was taking a risk as well. We don’t know her name now, but we also know the Internet and they can get that information if they want it. So she really was taking this leap with JoJo and it’s wonderful they are willing to share that part of themselves with us. JoJo said later in the interview, which I have embedded below, she didn’t really realize until two days later the chance she took. It didn’t occur to her that she could have, in fact, lost everything with her tweet. But by that time, she said, “Yeah, but if I lost everything, that I’ve created because of being myself, then I don’t want it.” I wish I was that together when I was her age. I was so controlled by fear. I love all these young people, especially young women, who project their confidence so loudly. JoJo and her girlfriend are long-distance, she said. She also said they are on the phone constantly, to the annoyance of both their families. Uh, yeah – they’re 17-year-olds in love. Of course they are on the phone constantly.
JoJo called Jimmy from Vancouver. She is currently filming a new musical for Nickelodeon called The J Team. It was developed for JoJo. She plays a character named JoJo who gets kicked off her dance troupe by a sparkle-hating replacement coach. As you can imagine, it’s perfect for her.
photo credit:YouTube, Instagram and Getty Images
Can’t say I’ve ever watched her before, but I really found her very endearing. She talks a lot lol but she’s 17 and known for her high energy. I liked it
The description of her Nickelodeon show made me laugh so hard. I have a Jojo-obsessed little girl in my life and she will love it. Jojo is A LOT of energy and I try to avoid watching her videos if I can because they grate on my nerves, but I’m very impressed with her confidence and pleased that my girl and others have her as a role model.
Man, I must be old! I know absolutely nothing about this kid beyond the article I just read **leaves to check in the mirror for grey hairs**.
Ahhh, young love. I wish them all the best.
I only know about her from reading stories like this (I’m 42 with no kids, she’s not in my world), but the more I read about her the more I wish her well and respect her approach to life. These are the role models kids will benefit from.
She seems so intelligent and mature for her age. I wish her the best. What she did by coming out was no small thing.
Every story about Jojo is an exploding rainbow of joy. Exactly what this world needs right now. Someone give her the Nobel Love Prize.
My kids aren’t into her but my small feet love her shoe line. I get compliments from other women on my sparkly bowed sneakers all the time! I think it’s wonderful that Nikolodeon is standing behind her too. I don’t think that would have happened years ago.
I saw her years ago at a dance competition. At that time, Maddy Ziegler was the big star and she was the new girl. She got everyone’s attention, though. Her energy was off the charts while waiting for the judges’ scores. She was this tiny blond dancer who was clearly enjoying herself. I’m not surprised by her success at all.
I still don’t get the shtick of being 17 and still dressing like an 8 year old, but this kid clearly knows her audience and it’s pretty harmless.
She has handled this announcement and the reactions really well – I think even with her popularity and the cushion of her wealth (extreme wealth changes people, so I could see that there could have been a lot of pressure not to acknowledge the rumors), what she did took guts and it could be invaluable to the kids that make up her fandom to see how joyfully she accepts herself and that it is a wonderful thing. Hopefully it will help parents see the value of your kid being happy in their own skin even when it is something that other people don’t agree with.
All I ask is that she give her poor hairline a break. The tightness of that ponytail is giving me a tension headache.
So happy for JoJo and so pleased a role model for children has reminded the world it’s okay to be gay!
As the mom of an 8 year-old who reallyreallyreally likes Jojo, she is A LOT for my quiet-loving self, but she is also very, very kind and upbeat and emphasizes kindness and inclusivity to her young audience. She is a positive influence on young women and girls, and since she’s wrapped in a sparkly, candy-coated package, they listen. Come for the sequins, stay for the life lessons! There are far, far worse celebri-teens out there, she is a good egg.
Jo Jo is big around our house with my 5 year old daughter. Both my husband and I were impressed when she came out, and feeling a little more tolerant of being forced to listen to her now.
She annoys me, but I’m not her audience. And I just think anyone high energy annoys me anyway. But she’s a kid, she’s confident, she’s strong, she is unapologetically who she is, and I admire the hell out of that. Kids can do much worse and really, not much better with her as a role model. Maybe she doesn’t annoy me as much as I think she does.
(I mean that she’s a positive role model, in case my bulky wording made it sound like anything else)
Crazy annoying. I steered my daughter away from her YouTube channel because of it.
I’m too old to be her audience lmao
I don’t know anything about her except that she was in the Abby Lee dance show. Yeah, I watched. I won’t front lol
I absolutely LOVE how she ain’t using any “fluid” language, nothing that can be misconstrued, no possible deniability or misunderstanding. She’s screaming loud and proud I’M GAY. GIRL, I AM LIVING IT!
Good for her. Best wishes.
I took my then 5 year old to her concert and it was honestly amazing. I didn’t expect to love it. Minus the high pitched screaming!!
But I came out and said “she’s gonna come out in the next few years”. I felt weird about saying it about a 16 year old but I got the vibes.