NEED TO KNOW
JoJo Siwa is opening up about her fluidity in dating.
In an interview with Billboard on Tuesday, June 3, the Dance Moms alum discussed her newly-confirmed relationship with Chris Hughes, which was met with some backlash.
“It’s really hard because people tear it apart,” Siwa, 22, told the outlet of her sexuality. “I understand if you have no context why people tear things apart… there’s people going through this same thing that I’m going through.”
“There’s somebody who’s identified as one sexuality and then maybe had this realization within themselves,” she said, adding that they may now feel like they can’t “change or grow.”
JoJo Siwa/Instagram
The “Karma” singer, who came out in 2021, has since felt like she was placed in a box.
“I’ve dated beautiful women, I’ve date beautiful non-binary people, I have dated men… but I realize that’s just who I am. I realize, for myself, that I just like humans,” she said.
On her relationship with Hughes, whom she met on Celebrity Big Brother U.K., Siwa said she “would have never imagined” they’d be “friends” before. Now, their relationship is “the weirdest” idea.
“[He’s someone I would] die for… when someone comes into your life and you enjoy it, you can tell,” she said.
Siwa hard-launched her relationship with Hughes, 32, in an interview with The Guardian on June 2.
“It’s not platonic anymore, and it’s been a beautiful development, a beautiful connection, and I’m absolutely head over heels for him, and he’s the same way,” she said.
Chris Hughes/Instagram
When the couple met on the reality show, Siwa identified as a lesbian and was in a relationship with actor Kath Ebbs, who identifies as non-binary. Then, just after the show wrapped, Siwa and Ebbs announced they were going their separate ways.
Since then, Siwa has denied that Hughes had anything to do with her breakup from Ebbs. Despite sharing PDA-filled photos and videos on social media, she maintained they were just friends.
In her interview with The Guardian, Siwa addressed critics who claim their relationship is a “PR stunt” and said they have a “very genuine connection.”
“Clearly, you’ve never been around us. I won’t ever speak for him, but for me personally, the happiness in my life just radiates off of me right now,” Siwa told the outlet. “Literally yesterday, I was massaging my cheeks; I’ve never [before] been in pain from smiling so much.”
