JoJo Siwa, 17, Comes Out As Gay: Lil Nas X & More Celebs Congratulate The ‘Dance Moms’ Star

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Twitter is celebrating after JoJo Siwa revealed that she’s a part of the LGBTQ community. The 17-year-old Dance Moms alum-turned-pop star came out in a creative way: on Jan. 22, she tweeted a selfie of herself wearing a T-shirt that read, “Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever.” Over the photo, JoJo simply wrote, “My cousin got me a new shirt.”

My cousin got me a new shirt pic.twitter.com/DuHhgRto7b

— JoJo Siwa!🌈❤️🎀 (@itsjojosiwa) January 22, 2021

Celebrities and fans alike quickly flooded Twitter with joy. Lil Nas X, who himself came out in gay in 2019, responded to JoJo’s announcement by writing, “if u spell ‘swag’ backwards, it’s ‘gay’. coincidence??” Meanwhile, Netflix star Colleen Ballinger (known for her altar-ego Miranda Sings) shared JoJo’s photo and wrote, “I’ve known you a long time and this is the happiest I’ve ever seen you. You’re absolutely glowing and I’m so proud of the woman you are becoming! love yoooou!” JoJo sent the love right back, as you can see below.

if u spell “swag” backwards, it’s “gay”. coincidence??

— nope (@LilNasX) January 22, 2021

Fans were wondering if JoJo had come out a night prior, when the “D.R.E.A.M.” singer uploaded a TikTok of herself lip syncing to Lady Gaga‘s LGBTQ anthem, “Born This Way.” She silently sang along as Gaga belted out, “No matter gay, straight, or bi / Lesbian, transgender life / I’m on the right track, baby / I was born to survive.”

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A post shared by lacey✿ (@siwaclouds)

Many celebrities and influencers saw the TikTok as JoJo’s subtle way of coming out and left congratulatory remarks in her comments section. “IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU,” YouTube star James Charles gushed; meanwhile, beauty guru Bretman Rock wrote, “Happy for you JoJo,” and TikTok star Tatayanna Mitchell wrote, “WOOHOO!! You’re the best JoJo.” Lil Nas X had also jumped into the comments section before the official announcement, writing, “swag jojo [heart emoji].”

@itsjojosiwa

♬ Born This Way Lady Gaga – johanna

JoJo was last romantically linked to 18-year-old social media star Mark Bontempo in the fall of 2020, but revealed that they had broken up in Nov. 2020. She defended her ex in the wake of backlash he was facing at the time and wrote on Instagram, “Relax. Your [sic] right, Mark doesn’t deserve hateful things like this. He deserves to have people support him. You have NO idea about mark and I’s relationship. how much fun it was. how happy we both were, and how happy we both are. We decided it’s best for us to not be in a relationship…. that’s all.”