Wait, what’s going on with Jojo Siwa?
Related: Who is Jojo Siwa? Allow us to breakdown the chaos of news stories about the former-child-star-turned-self-proclaimed-queer-icon that have been swirling for the last few weeks.
Three weeks ago, the 21-year-old singer and social media personality joined Celebrity Big Brother—a UK-based reality game show that follows a group of celebrities living together in a house isolated from the rest of the world. And ever since then, a lot of things seem to have happened to Siwa.
First, she experienced a homophobic attack at the hands of actor Mickey Rourke. In a later episode, she came out as queer, after previously identifying as a lesbian. And finally, she broke up with her Australian partner Kat Ebbs.
Those are some significant life events, even for the self-described “CEO of Gay Pop.” But how do these string events connect to each other? And why does the internet seem so fascinated by it? And most importantly, what does Chris Hughes from Love Island, of all people, have to do with it?
Don’t worry. I did a little deep dive on the drama, so you don’t have to. Here is everything you could possibly want to know about what the heck is happening with Jojo Siwa.
Why Is Jojo Siwa a Celebrity?
If you’re wondering who the heck Jojo Siwa even is, allow me to explain.
In 2009, Siwa got her start in Hollywood when she joined TLC’s Dance Moms, where she quickly became known wearing huge bright bows and for her rather energetic personality.
After Dance Moms, Siwa turned to YouTube, where she amassed over 12 million followers. And since then, her fame has only increased.
She created a bow line that was sold in Claire’s stores across the country. She had a reality TV series called Siwa’s Dance Pop Revolution, a film called the J Team and a video game called JoJo Siwa: Worldwide Party. And more recently, Siwa released a song called “Karma.”
The Big Brother Incident
In the first episode of Big Brother, actor Mickey Rourke used a homophobic slur against Siwa, who used to identify as lesbian, and as of five days ago, now identifies as queer (more on that later).
It happened after only a few hours into filming the show. Wanting a cig break, Rourke asked Siwa where he could go smoke and she offered to show him. Then, for reasons unknown, Rourke proceeds to ask the singer, “Do you like girls or boys?”
“Girls,” she replied, before going on to explain that her current partner identifies as nonbinary.
After hearing her response, Rourke went on to tell Siwa that if he stays longer than four days, then she wouldn’t be gay anymore.
“I can guarantee I’ll still be gay and I’ll still be in a very happy relationship,” Siwa said calmly.
Rourke replied by saying: “I’ll tie you up.”
The homophobia only got worse from there. When the contestants explained to Rourke how the voting process went, he mentioned that he was going to “vote the lesbian out real quick.” At this point, Siwa had enough, calling Rourke out for his homophobia. Despite this, he continued his behavior.
“I need a f–,” he said, before turning to point at the singer and saying: “not talking to you.”
Hughes (the former Love Island star) defended Siwa from Rourke’s homophobic comments, and afterward, the two grew close, perhaps a little too close.
The Weird Dynamic Between Jojo Siwa and Chris Hughes
Trauma can bring people together. Don’t believe me? Just ask Hughes and Siwa.
After the incident involving Rourke, Hughes and Siwa quickly grew close on the show, both physically and emotionally.
They were seen getting handsy, giving each other forehead kisses, and cuddling on more than one occasion. During a confessional, Hughes even cried about other people making him feel like he can’t be friends with Siwa.
Needless to say, it was all very suspicious to viewers.
Chris hughes and Jojo Siwa #cbbuk https://t.co/lvQdwBfyiQ pic.twitter.com/QEfDzM385d
— Lewis 🏴 (@lewisa95) April 20, 2025
Coming Out As Queer
A week or so after the incident with Rourke, the singer told fellow contestant, Danny Beard, who was previously on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, that she no longer identifies as a lesbian.
“I feel, like, so queer, do you know what I mean?” Siwa said. “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.”
“You are,” Beard replied.
Siwa went on to explain: “And I think that’s really cool… F— the L, I’m going to the Q!”
Of course, the internet thought this change was a result of Siwa’s friendship with Hughes, joking that he somehow made the singer question her sexual identity.
if you told me a month ago that Jojo Siwa and Chris Hughes would form a bond so strong in the celebrity big brother house that it made Jojo genuinely question her lesbian status I would have told you to seek professional help #CBB #CBBUK pic.twitter.com/mScRvBl2vR
— faith🌛 (@EurovisionFaith) April 24, 2025
Chris Hughes rn:I can’t believe I pulled Jojo Siwa pic.twitter.com/bNt3TAqLxl
— j (@fm2024k) April 26, 2025
Siwa Breaks Up With Her Partner
Ebb dropped the news about the breakup in a now deleted TikTok, sharing how Siwa dumped them at the Big Brother wrap party.
“I flew across the world to support and be there and hold that person in whatever they would be experiencing, leaving such a wild experience,” Ebbs said. “Instead, I was dumped at the afterparty, with Chris in the next room. Which is f—ing crazy to say out loud.”
Then, in an Instagram video posted on Sunday, Ebb went on to explain what they believe went down Siwa and Hughes.
“I was told that there are confused feelings there,” Ebbs said of Siwa, “And that they had realized in the house that I wasn’t the person that they wanted to spend the foreseeable future with.
The following day, Siwa confirmed the two broke up on the UK’s “This Morning,” during a segment that she did with Hughes.
I’ve become invested in the jojo siwa/chris hughes/kath ebbs drama even though I don’t watch celebrity big brother and have never once cared about them before pic.twitter.com/vjcUyRhhMX
— abi (@langfrd) April 27, 2025
During the show, the pair described their relationship as platonic.
“Our friendship is, it’s hard to explain,” Hughes said. “It’s just a really strong bond. A strong friendship. You can have a soulmate friendship. I think that’s a thing.”
While everything between Siwa and Hughes is still only speculation, the internet, as usual, is here for the drama.
I must finally reveal myself as someone who has been highly invested in the Jojo Siwa & Chris Hughes romance.This is sensational news & I’m on the edge of my seat. https://t.co/npegd3fYK5
— Big L (@LouisNevers) April 26, 2025
The post Why Is Everyone Gossiping About, of All Celebs, Jojo Siwa? appeared first on The Daily Beast.
