JoJo Siwa has backed out of a Pride performance after comments she made about her sexuality stirred up controversy.
The 22-year-old singer and Dance Moms star was set to perform at Chicago’s Back Lot Bash music festival, but organizers later cited a “scheduling conflict,” according to Fox 32 Chicago.
The cancellation came shortly after Siwa opened up in an interview with You Magazine, where she admitted to feeling “pressured” to label herself as a lesbian. “When I came out at 17, I said: ‘I’m pansexual, because I don’t care [about gender].’ But then I kind of boxed myself in and I said: ‘I’m a lesbian.’ And I think I did that because of pressure,” she said.
She went on to explain that the pressure sometimes came from within the LGBTQ community, including people she knew and past partners. “You just get put in this world where you feel like, because you now have said, ‘Oh, I’m a lesbian,’ you have to be a lesbian. And the truth is, sexuality is fluid.”
Her comments sparked more conversations, especially after she recently confirmed she’s dating 32-year-old Big Brother UK star Chris Hughes, whom she called her “favorite person in the world.” This news followed her breakup with nonbinary partner Kath Ebbs, 27, in April.
Adding to the buzz, Miley Cyrus recently joked during a pre-recorded segment at the WorldPride Festival in Washington, D.C., that she’d “bring [Siwa] back out” of the closet. Siwa addressed the moment on Instagram, writing, “I don’t believe what Miley said at World Pride was ill intended… just not a very good joke haha.” She shared that she reached out to Miley directly and got a warm “All love. Always.” in response.
Meanwhile, Siwa has also postponed her upcoming North American tour, which was supposed to kick off July 10 in Houston and hit major cities like New York, Toronto, and Los Angeles.
