JoJo Siwa has been at the center of one controversy after another and the subject of harsh criticism for most of her career. From her messy dating life to claiming she invented "gay pop” to changing the way she identifies, Siwa has faced it all.
But she’s now spent more than a month in the headlines after she and Chris Hughes sparked rumors about their age-gap relationship on Celebrity Big Brother UK. Fans tuned in every week to watch their chemistry grow, experienced Siwa having an identity crisis, and then ultimately ended herrelationship with nonbinary actor and content creator Kath Ebbs to seemingly date Hughes.
So much has happened, but who are the stars at the center of all of the speculation, and are they really dating?
Who is JoJo Siwa?
JoJo Siwa got her start as a 9-year-old child star in two seasons of Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition, a spinoff of the hit reality show Dance Moms. After she shot to stardom on the show, she was cut from the competition and then joined the cast of the fifth season of Dance Moms.
While on the show, her YouTube channel reached 12 million subscribers, and from there she went on to star in a slew of Nickelodeon shows before launching her career as a pop star.
The 22-year-old “Boomerang” singer came out as a lesbian back in 2021, but has since changed how she defines her sexuality.
Siwa has dated a series of people including So You Think You Can Dance star Dakayla Wilson, TikTok star Avery Cyrus, and Kylie Prew, before entering a relationship with Ebbs, who she broke up with after meeting Hughes on Celebrity Big Brother.
Who is Chris Hughes?
The 32-year-old UK reality TV star started his career as a model before appearing on the third season of Love Island where he came in third place. After leaving the show, he collaborated with Kem Cetinay, who won that season, on the spin-off series You vs. Chris and Kem and Chris & Kem: Straight Outta Love Island.
Hughes then became a correspondent for ITV Racing and starred in the 2021 movie Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins. He’s also appeared on a slew of game shows and even released a single.
What happened on Celebrity Big Brother UK and after the show?
Hughes and Siwa both entered the Celebrity Big Brother UK house for the 24th season of the hit reality TV Show without having met before, but the pair’s instant chemistry was apparent to everyone who was watching.
While on the show, Siwa was harassed by actor Mickey Rourke, who was kicked off the show for his homophobic remarks. She also seemed to struggle with her sexual identity and came out as queer after having identified as a lesbian for years.
But the real controversy started when fans started noticing the intense chemistry that she shared with Hughes. Rumors immediately started swirling as the two were seen touching, sleeping in bed together, and snuggling while on the show.
This all went down while Siwa was still dating Ebbs, who said in a video posted to Instagram that prior to leaving for England to film the show, they were told that they were the love of Siwa’s life and that the “Karma” singer was planning to propose.
Ebbs said they flew out to the UK to be there to support Siwa before the filming of the finale, but Siwa ended up breaking up with them at the after party. Siwa told U.K.’s This Morning on April 28, while appearing alongside Hughes, that the breakup was “not supposed to happen like that.”
The Chris Hughes and JoJo Siwa dating controversy
After facing controversy and backlash for breaking up with Ebbs and seemingly starting a relationship with Hughes, the two started gushing about each other during interviews and posting cute and cuddly photos on Instagram.
The rumors and speculation were essentially put to bed on May 22 when The Sun published candid paparazzi photos of the couple kissing while Siwa straddled Hughes as they sat on a pool floaty in a hotel swimming pool.
Then, on May 28, Hughes was answering online questions from fans for the clothing brand House of Cavani when he was asked about his “current relationship status,” and he answered, “Happy.” He continued, “That’s my relationship status. It’s happy. I’m just happy. That’s good. I’m happy with that.” He also called Siwa his “favorite topic of conversation” and “his favorite human.”
That same day, Siwa took to Instagram after performing in London, where she changed the lyrics to “Betty Davis Eyes” to "Chris Hughes eyes” to post about how “content and happy” she is there, alongside photos of her show and her and Hughes embracing. “There’s no way to quite explain how content and how happy I have been feeling personally and professionally,” she wrote. "I don’t feel the need to convince anyone because for the first time since I was 17 I’m not trying to convince myself of that.”
So... are they dating, or not?
It's been a long and, frankly, wild road to get here, but as of June 2, 2025, Siwa officially confirmed that the two are an item.
In an interview withThe Guardian, Siwa said she was "in pain from smiling so much" regarding the growth of their relationship.
Referring to him as "sweet Christopher," Siwa said the connection between them was "very genuine" and that they "weren't faking a thing."
When asked directly if they were platonic or romantic, Siwa sat "silent for a long time, staring at the floor," with a smile "from ear to ear."
Siwa then fessed up that the smile was "because we...we...we have..."
After a noisy exhale and some "ums and aahs" for "a full 20 seconds," Siwa finally ripped off the bandaid and said, "It's not platonic anymore, and it's been a beautiful development, a beautiful connection, and I'm absolutely head over heels for him and he's the same way."
She also addressed the speculation that this was a PR stunt, stating, "Clearly, you've never been around us. I won't ever speak for him, but for me personally, the happiness in my life just radiates off of me right now. Literally yesterday, I was massaging my cheeks; I've never [before] been in pain from smiling so much."
How are fans taking the news?
People have reacted to every piece of this story along the way, but the official confirmation of their relationship coming at the start of Pride Month has really rubbed some fans the wrong way.
Some have accused her of being gay so she could leverage gay audiences, while others have addressed the age gap between the two as an issue.
Still, Siwa doubled-down about her "queer" identity with her Guardian interview, saying the term best "encompasses how I am, and who I am" and that she reserves her "right to remain fluid."
"There's a lot of different sexual identities," she said. "I think there's nothing more beautiful than somebody discovering themselves."
