JoJo Siwa is the kind of YouTube and social media star that could send the internet into a frenzy just by posting a video of her trying to find a ripe cantaloupe, or completing a paint-by-number of a bridge. Fans just cannot get enough of her signature verve, so it wasn't too surprising when that fanbase went berserk over Siwa recently coming out as LGBTQ, which she'd confirmed after inspiring rampant speculation with a couple of TikTok videos. Now, the Masked Singer vet has explained her reasoning behind the offbeat way she made the reveal.
During her virtual appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, JoJo Siwa revealed that coming out wasn't exactly her main intention when the TikTok video went up of her lip syncing to Paramore's "Ain't It Fun," but that she was cognizant of how fans would interpret it. Here's how the 17-year-old entertainer explained it to Jimmy Fallon:
I was doing TikToks with the people who are in the Pride House; that's what their TikTok house is called, it's the Pride House. And I love them; I've known them all for years. So we were like, 'Let's just do some TikToks together before I leave for Canada.' And they come over, we're doing this TikTok, and I was like, I think this TikTok that we're doing to 'Ain't It Fun' is gonna out me. And I was like, I don't really mind, because 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. It's just something I haven't shown the internet yet. And there's always been speculations, of course. . . . So then they posted that, and of course, it did [out me], and people started commenting to me, 'Is this you coming out? What is this?' So I was like, you know what I can do? I can either mess with them and like tease a little bit. I can confirm it, because it is true. Or I can just kinda do nothing about it and just kinda leave it there. And I was like, I wanna do a TikTok to 'Born This Way,' because it is true, I don't really wanna be like, 'Yeah, it's true!' right away. But I want people to know that it's okay.
To be expected, the 'Born This Way' video rocketed her fanbase speculation straight through the stratosphere. Those who'd already presumed she was LGBTQ were now fully convinced, while those who weren't so sure before were now totally on board with the notion, even though JoJo Siwa herself didn't immediately confirm or deny anything. Well, not vocally, anyway. She did post a picture of herself wearing a shirt that said, 'Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever.' And that cued up even more social media fireworks.
JoJo Siwa did eventually address all the commotion by confirming her placement within the LGBTQ community, though she opted not to adopt a specific label by way of her sexuality, merely saying that she loved all humans. That said, Siwa obviously also confirmed that she's in a relationship with another female during her Tonight Show interview, and she went on to reveal that her girlfriend fully supported the decision to make it all official. In her words:
So I did this TikTok to 'Born This Way,' and everyone's like, 'Whoa, this is her coming out! This is the moment!' And I was like, all right. And then, my cousin had gotten me that shirt. I took that picture like a week before I posted it. And I actually put it on my close friend's Instagram story; all my friends know, all my family knows. And then one day, I was on FaceTime with my girlfriend – this was the day after I posted the 'Born This Way' TikTok – and we were just talking about it and talking about all the love that came in. And we were both like, technically, I still haven't confirmed it. So I was like, I kinda just wanna post this picture on my real Story. And she was super encouraging. She was like, 'Do it!' And I was like, 'All right!' And I did it.
As fun as it was to hear JoJo Siwa share the story in her high-energy style, it was also worth it to watch Jimmy Fallon's reactions, which seemed like a mixture of pride and awe. Check all of it out in the video below.
While she received love and support from a swath of fans and fellow celebs (such as Sir Ian McKellen), news of JoJo Siwa's announcement obviously didn't make ALL of her followers happy, since it's 100% impossible to please everyone online. But Siwa clearly hasn't let that negativity sway her from her course, and she's going to keep doing her thing the same way she was before. Ain't it fun, indeed.
