JoJo Siwa said she is "craving" a wedding with boyfriend Chris Hughes and detailed what she described as "brutal" bullying from members of the LGBTQ+ community after beginning a relationship with a man.
The 22-year-old singer and social-media personality spoke about her relationship and the reaction to it on the Reign with Josh Smith podcast, saying she had never wanted the future so badly and now envisages a traditional wedding with a ring, her father walking her down the aisle and a first dance. Siwa and 32-year-old former Love Island contestant Chris Hughes met in the Celebrity Big Brother house earlier this year and have been publicly together since leaving the show.
Siwa, who previously came out as pansexual and now identifies as queer, described a backlash from within the LGBTQ+ community after she entered a heterosexual relationship. "It is hard because it feels like my own family has turned a little bit," she said, adding that the community's common refrain that "love is love" should apply in both directions. She said the response has included public laughter, people pointing and rolling their eyes, someone standing outside her studio with a raised middle finger and fans who briefly take photos and then run away.
"That to me has made me be so aware, I guess, of how brutal hate can be and how brutal bullying can be from outside the community and from within," Siwa said. She added that while the criticism does not affect her personally, she worries about younger people watching and the message it sends to those who may change how they identify over time. "Who it is affecting is the people who are years younger than me seeing what you're saying about me," she said. "So now if you were a 22 right now and said, 'I liked girls,' but then all of a sudden, this boy comes into your life and you think, 'Well I can't do that 'cause these people told her she can't' — that's where the problem is." She urged people to be cautious with their words.
Siwa described the relationship as different from anything she has experienced. "I've never protected a love that I have so much. I've never cared about another person so much. I've never craved a wedding," she said on the podcast. The interview is available through the Reign with Josh Smith show on streaming platforms.
The couple attended a friend's wedding in London recently, where Siwa traded her stage rhinestones for an elegant black gown that included a nod to the bows she is known for. Hughes posted images from the event on Instagram, writing: "A beautiful wedding in the city. Congratulation Mr & Mrs Lewis!" The two have been photographed together several times since leaving Celebrity Big Brother and remain publicly affectionate and supportive of one another.
Siwa's comments come amid ongoing public conversations about identity, labels and the boundaries of community solidarity. She urged older members of the LGBTQ+ community to be mindful of how they treat others, especially public figures whose experiences may influence young people exploring their own identities. The singer emphasized that her relationship does not discredit her past relationships and called for compassion and restraint from those who disagree with her choices.
Her remarks highlight a recurring theme in contemporary discussions about sexuality and identity: how communities respond when members' relationships or identities evolve. Siwa's public profile and candid statements on the podcast have brought renewed attention to that debate, drawing both support and criticism from different quarters.
For the full podcast interview, Siwa directed listeners to the Reign with Josh Smith feed on streaming platforms and to the show's social accounts.