JoJo Siwa ‘didn’t think twice’ about losing fans after coming out

JoJo Siwa has said that she “didn’t think twice” about the fans she lost and the backlash she faced after coming out as LGBTQ+.

In the first episode of her new podcast JoJo Siwa Now, the former Dance Moms star opened up about the moment she decided to publicly come out to her fans as queer.

Siwa, 20, came out as gay in January 2021, later clarifying that she would identify better with the term queer or pansexual.

The popstar, who is best known for her big sparkly hair bows and fills arenas with rabid pre-teen fans, says that she “lost a lot” when she first came out, but she never let it get to her.

“I got a lot of positivity and love… but there was also a lot of negativity, and I did lose a lot,” she told listeners.

“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.”

Siwa continued that she had built a name for herself by “being genuine”, and she planned to keep being the most authentic version of herself. So, if people couldn’t get behind her because of her sexuality, she doesn’t want them in her circle anyway.

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.

“I just try to really be genuine, really be who I am.”

Siwa says, before coming out, she “didn’t think twice” about the backlash she might have encountered. It was always about being true to herself and letting the rest of the world deal with it.

“I was on the phone with my girlfriend at the time, and I said ‘I think I wanna come out to the world,’” she shared. 

“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.”

Siwa was just 17 years old when she came out to the world, posting a photo to her Instagram Story of her wearing a t-shirt that read: “Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever.”

Since coming out, Siwa has been romantically linked to the likes of Kylie Prew, influencer Katie Mills, and content creator Avery Cyrus.

In a previous interview, the dancer revealed that she first discovered she was queer while on a trip to Disney World.

Speaking to People earlier this year, she shared: “I fell in love for the first time at Disney World. I realised I was gay at Disney World. I went through stages of heartbreak at Disney World. There’s been a lot in my personal life that Disney World has really attributed to.”

Siwa explained that she had spent two weeks at the theme park with a close, female friend when she realised that she “liked” her.

“Having all those feelings while just being in the most magical place in the world and the happiest place on Earth was so cool. We’re not together anymore, but we did have some really fun, happy memories here.”