JoJo Siwa’s – JoJo Siwa said she had to learn what “lavender relationship” even meant after critics questioned her relationship with Chris Hughes, even as she’s spent years describing how coming out has brought scrutiny—and how her identity can evolve.
JoJo Siwa expected backlash after coming out. What she didn’t expect was how quickly her relationship could turn into a new round of questioning—so intense that she eventually learned a term for it by googling.
On the June 4 episode of E!’s “Hot Goss” YouTube series. the 23-year-old singer. dancer and former “Dance Moms” star addressed the fallout she and “Love Island” personality Chris Hughes have faced over their relationship. Siwa said that “coming out dating a man” brought her more scrutiny than coming out dating a girl.
“That was just kind of a hard thing to deal with at first, like people just always having something to say,” Siwa said.
Siwa has been publicly open about her identity since coming out as LGBTQ in 2021. But her relationship with Hughes—both described as celebrity “Big Brother” alums—sparked renewed pressure online. For many viewers, the focus wasn’t just who Siwa was dating. It was what they believed her sexuality “should” mean.
For some people, the criticism escalated into a label: the so-called “lavender relationship,” a dynamic where a queer person dates someone to hide their sexual orientation. Siwa said she didn’t know what the term meant until after the rumors spread.
“I had no clue what it meant before,” Siwa said. “Then I googled it, I was like, ‘Oh, grow up.’”
As the discussion swirled, Siwa and Hughes began fueling rumors almost immediately after leaving the “Big Brother” house. The relationship raised eyebrows among viewers who speculated that it could have been the catalyst for Siwa’s breakup with Australian influencer Kath Ebbs. Ebbs accused Siwa of “emotional cheating” and said Siwa ended their relationship at a cast after-party in April 2025.
The comments didn’t stay confined to romance speculation. Some online commentators also discussed whether Siwa and Hughes were in a “lavender relationship.” Siwa’s reaction suggested she felt the scrutiny wasn’t only personal—it was premature.
Melvin Williams. an associate professor of communication and media studies at Pace University. previously told USA TODAY that sexuality is “complex and ever-evolving.” He added that because Siwa lives in the public eye. she may have faced pressure to proclaim her identity early on. rather than letting it develop as she learns more.
Williams said Siwa’s later reflections send a message that it’s “OK to change your mind.” He described the takeaway as a reminder to young fans that they “have the right to identify. to take a step and become more educated on the varying aspects of their identity. ” including identifying differently or adding nuance to how they describe their sexuality.
Yet Siwa’s story also shows how hard it can be for an audience to hold onto that idea. Even as young people are encouraged to evolve, viewers may treat every change as proof of deception.
That friction can be sharper when someone is watched from childhood. Amy Morin. a psychotherapist. podcast host and author of “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do. ” previously told USA TODAY that people often want labels because labels help them “make sense of what we’re seeing.” When someone doesn’t fit neatly into those labels. Morin said it can create discomfort.
Morin’s comments landed right alongside Siwa’s reality: for years, audiences have tracked her identity, and for the latest chapter, they scrutinized her relationship almost like it was evidence in a debate.
Siwa and Hughes initially described their connection as a friendship. But that didn’t stop the speculation once they left the “Big Brother” house.
What followed wasn’t just online gossip. It became a spotlight problem. Williams described the blurred boundaries that come with celebrity. telling USA TODAY that people live in “a celebrity-obsessed society” where lines between “appropriate. inappropriate. invasive. private and in this case. adulthood and childhood” are “immediately blurred and outright dismissed.”.
If the backlash felt personal, Siwa has sounded it out before.
In 2025. she told the Daily Mail’s YOU Magazine in 2025 that after sharing she was pansexual. she felt pressured into coming out as a lesbian. During her “Big Brother” season. she also mused about gender. saying she. at times. doesn’t identify as male or female and feels most like the nonbinary people she’s met in her life.
Her experience mirrors what other stars have described as their identities change over time. The article references Demi Lovato. who came out as queer and nonbinary and later reintroduced she/her pronouns alongside they/them. It also points to Miley Cyrus. who has said she struggled to fit within different labels and has identified as bisexual. pansexual and queer at different points. A slew of former teen stars—including Bella Thorne. Joshua Bassett and Raven-Symoné—have also shared about expectations they faced in the industry.
There’s a pattern embedded in Siwa’s account: people want clear answers quickly, and then punish the moment those answers shift.
Still, experts say the public’s curiosity doesn’t have to end in judgment. Janelle Peifer. an associate professor of psychology at the University of Richmond. previously told USA TODAY that it can help to check in with yourself when you’re intensely engaged with a media story—asking what it says about your own longings or needs.
Peifer said the key question is whether someone is drawn in by “fun, distraction, escapism or something deeper.”
For Siwa, the immediate outcome is straightforward: another wave of comments, another round of explaining herself, and another reminder that changing—whether about labels, identity, or who you’re dating—doesn’t always land with the audience you’re hoping will understand.
JoJo Siwa Chris Hughes lavender relationship rumors LGBTQ identity sexuality scrutiny celebrity backlash Hot Goss E!