“There’s a lot of different sexual identities. I think there’s nothing more beautiful than somebody discovering themselves”
BY VEE WILSON, IMAGE PROVIDED
JoJo Siwa has once again broken the internet, and a few hearts too. The relationship drama has unravelled like a car crash that’s impossible to look away from, and we’ve all watched along as both heartbreak and romance unfolded in real-time. It’s been messy, chaotic and dramatic for sure, but beneath it all is a bigger truth: while JoJo is being criticised for potentially cheating, what’s being missed is a story about the emotional messiness of being young and figuring out who you are. While I don’t condone any kind of cheating, I do think that JoJo deserves more understanding and grace.
The American performer entered Celebrity Big Brother UK in April alongside stars like Jack P. Shepherd and Danny Beard, but it was her connection with ex-Love Islander Chris Hughes that grabbed everyone’s attention. Their bond was sparked after Chris comforted her during a homophobic incident in the house, and it quickly deepened. The two became incredibly close, seen cuddling in bed and flirting, which raised eyebrows as JoJo was still dating her partner Kath Ebbs at the time. While the two claimed their relationship was simply platonic, viewers started to question whether more was going on between them.
JoJo confided in housemate Danny Beard that she was questioning her sexuality, saying, “I’ve always told myself I’m a lesbian […] I think being here I realise, oh, I’m not a lesbian, I’m queer and think that’s really cool. I’m switching letters!” Her feelings for Chris seemed to spark this shift, and after the show, this was seemingly verified as she and Kath confirmed their breakup. Chris and JoJo remained vague about whether they were dating until recently, when she revealed to The Guardian that: “It’s not platonic anymore […] I’m absolutely head over heels for him and he’s the same way.”
JoJo has been in the spotlight since she became a reality TV star at just nine years old, so of course her coming out journey has always been public too: coming out first without a label in 2021, then as pansexual, then as lesbian, and now as queer. Society loves to categorise and box, so there’s a lot of pressure to pick a label and stick to it, let alone the added pressure of being in the public eye. But fame doesn’t make her less human, and what is more human than trying, and sometimes failing, to figure out who we are and who we love? The truth is that navigating love and identity is complicated and hard for all of us.
I have a deep empathy for the messiness of self-discovery and resonate with JoJo’s journey with identity. I’ve hopped from label to label myself: from pansexual to bisexual to queer, and from non-binary to binary trans male to non-binary again. I felt an intense pressure to find the right label. To fit in. But ultimately, not fitting in is what suited me best and coming to terms with the fact that I am non-binary was so liberating. These things take time, and self-discovery isn’t a single end point; it’s continuously taking place. As JoJo said “there’s a lot of different sexual identities. I think there’s nothing more beautiful than somebody discovering themselves.”
One thing we can take away from this situation is the importance of treating ourselves and others with kindness, patience, and understanding as we learn and grow, even if they are a famous child star. Self-discovery isn’t always graceful, but it is always necessary, and JoJo Siwa’s messy, beautiful coming out process is a reminder that none of us owes perfection while we’re figuring it out.
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