Earlier this week, JoJo Siwa seemed to be dropping hints to her fans and followers that she might be gay.
She danced to some very specific “Born This Way” lyrics. More conspicuously, she was filmed dancing at Pride House LA.
But the time for subtlety is over.
JoJo Siwa is gay, and she wants the world to know.
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On Friday afternoon, around 4pm EST, JoJo took to Twitter to share a message and a photo.
“My cousin got me a new shirt,” the 17-year-old performer tweeted to her half a million followers.
The shirt itself told the full story.
“Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever,” the shirt reads in bold text.
Since JoJo is wearing the shirt and received it from her cousin, it is not difficult to put two and two together and get four.
JoJo is gay! Congratulations are absolutely in order, girl!
JoJo, whose real name is Joelle Joanie Siwa, is a dancer, singer, actress, and YouTube personality.
She has an estimated net worth of $14 million. She was listed among the Time 100 Most Influential People of 2020.
JoJo regularly performs to sold-out stadiums and most of her fans range from young to very young.
In the spring of 2020, TikTok challenges were really taking off because of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
JoJo participated in one of those challenges, wiping her mirror only to suddenly be “transformed.”
In her case, the transformation saw her shed her trademarked clown-like costume, designed to appeal to her very young fanbase, and reveal her actual looks.
Wait, millions of fans realized, JoJo Siwa is beautiful? It turns out that she always was.
Some fans in particular — JoJo’s fellow teenage girls — were vocal on social media about appreciating her beauty.
These young gay and bi women were nothing short of thirsty when it came to sharing their thoughts about the singer’s “true form.”
But she had not come out yet.
In fact, later that year, she appeared to be dating a male TikTok star.
It wasn’t until January 20 — when most of America and a lot of the rest of the world was focused upon celebrating President Biden’s inauguration — that JoJo decided to share more about herself.
Or, at least, she opted to drop some major hints.
First, she recorded herself lipsyncing and dancing in her chair to “Born This Way,” Lady Gaga’s LGBTQ+ anthem.
Obviously, her choice of song seemed like a hint, but anyone can listen to any song without it defining their identity, so fans might have let that slide.
Then, JoJo was recorded dancing at Pride House LA, a place exclusively for LGBTQ+ TikTok stars to rally and perform.
Was she some sort of special guest, like inviting Ariana Grande to a Pride event?
Some came to believe that they were seeing JoJo and another girl on TikTok wearing corresponding Touch Bracelets, intended for couples, but that was not proven.
Some fans figured that JoJo was coming out on purpose, but that she would not be allowed to say so in as many words.
They imagined that because of how much vicious bigotry exists in the world, she might be forced — perhaps even by contract — to remain in the closet, “hints” notwithstanding.
But sometimes, hints are followed up shortly with very direct statements. Here, I even made a meme about it.
I could not resist making this meme in celebration of JoJo sharing this wonderful news.
Advocates are already excited about the positive impact that JoJo coming out as gay can have on LGBTQ+ youth and on on their straight, cisgender peers who have grown up as her fans.
Good for you, JoJo!