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JoJo Siwa has been really happy since she came out and dated Kylie Prew, even though they broke up in October 2021.
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In the first episode of JoJo Siwa's new iHeartMedia-produced podcast, "JoJo Siwa Now," the reality star delves into her coming out journey, sharing insights on how she made the decision to reveal her queer identity to her fans.
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"I was on the phone with my girlfriend (Kylie Prew) at the time, and I said ‘I think I wanna come out to the world,'" she recounted. "I posted this picture and threw it on my Instagram Story, and that’s how I confirmed it … I didn’t think twice about it."
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Since coming out, JoJo Siwa has continued to speak openly about her sexuality and refuses to let the haters get her down. "People are going to say it’s not normal, but nothing is normal," Siwa said in a January Instagram Live as per 'US Weekly'. "Literally not one thing about anybody is normal and it’s OK not to be normal, it’s OK to be a little different, it’s OK to be a little weird, strange, different. That’s something we should never, ever be afraid of. That’s something we should be proud of..."
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She also shared that while the majority of reactions were positive, there were still many who weren't pleased that she was being so open about her truth. According to 'Billboard', she said, "There was also a lot of negativity, and I did lose a lot," she said. "I didn’t care, and I still don’t care about the things I lost and the people that I lost and if I lost a chunk of fans, because it’s who I am."
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Further elaborating her point, JoJo Siwa clarified that her career has always been about being real. She said that if some fans couldn't accept her being true to herself, they were welcome to leave. As per 'Billboard', she said, "If you didn’t like me because [one day] I was straight, and [the next day] I was gay, then you’re not meant to like me anyways," she explained. "I just try to really be genuine, really be who I am."
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This isn't the first time JoJo Siwa has discussed the backlash she faced after coming out. In a July interview on 'The Viall Files', the 'Dance Moms' star revealed that several corporations essentially "blacklisted" her because of her sexuality.
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She shared to 'Billboard', "I had a lot of people of corporations [who] told me that I made the wrong choice and that I shouldn’t have come out," she recalled. "[They said] that I shouldn’t tell my young demographic that I’m gay."
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Since coming out, fans have hailed JoJo Siwa as a "gay icon," a label she considers to be "the biggest honor." In an interview with 'Entertainment Weekly' in June 2021, she shared her vision for her music career. "About a year ago, I started having all these music meetings just for fun, just getting my head where I want to go," she said. "And I told the producers, 'I want to create gay pop, and I want to have a concert for the girls and for the gays.' Turns out a year later, I am very much so gay."
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On the 'Ellen DeGeneres Show' in November 2021, JoJo expressed her excitement about being called a "gay icon." She said, "It’s wild to me because I look at people who are called gay icons — [DeGeneres], Lady Gaga, Freddie Mercury, my favorite people — and to be in that category at 18 is just insane. And just because of who I am, it feels amazing."
Step into the world of JoJo Siwa post-coming out. Explore her journey as she embraces her true self, celebrating her successes, challenges, and the love she shares with fans globally.
From career highs to personal growth, experience JoJo's story firsthand as she fearlessly lives life on her own terms, inspiring others along the way.