Update 5:47pm CT: Siwa appears to have confirmed speculation that she is gay. On Friday, Siwa posted a photo to Twitter alongside the caption: “My cousin got me a new shirt.” The shirt reads: “Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever.”
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Social media users think JoJo Siwa came out as a member of the LGBTQ community in her latest TikTok.
The 17-year-old singer, dancer, and YouTube personality uploaded her most recent video last night. Decked out in a colorful JoJo Siwa sweatshirt and rainbow bow with rainbow lights flashing across her face, Siwa dances and mouths along to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” the foremost gay anthem of the 2010s.
The portion of lyrics Siwa selected is telling, according to commenters. The teen star beams as Gaga sings, “No matter gay, straight, or bi / Lesbian, transgendered life / I’m on the right track baby, I was born to survive.”
The specificity of the lyrics, along with Siwa’s rainbow outfit, led the majority of viewers to believe that the video served as her official coming out. Siwa has yet to provide any further details—like how, precisely, she identifies—but that’s not stopping people from congratulating her.
Several beauty vloggers, including James Charles and Bretman Rock, were among the first to congratulate Siwa on her coming out.
“IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU,” Charles wrote.
Just a few hours later, Rock chimed in with, “Happy for you Jojo.”
Numerous other influencers and celebs also took to the comments to show their support. YouTuber Colleen Ballinger, of Miranda Sings and Haters Back Off fame, was overjoyed, writing, “My queeeeeen love you little sister.”
While many commenters were tripping over themselves to welcome Siwa to the LGBTQ community, several worried that her video was being taken out of context.
“Imagine if this is just a normal video with no meaning,” @itsjeffreyayala wrote.
“Why is everyone assuming she came out tho? What if sis is just vibing to Lady Gaga,” @itslilyrose asked.
On Twitter, where Siwa’s video was shared by @defnoodles, many commenters believed the video was taken out of context. Those familiar with Siwa’s style, which involves multi-colored outfits and giant bows, felt that it was just a regular video from the teen star.
On TikTok, however, people have already decided Siwa is part of the community now, and there is no going back. They refused to even entertain the notion that Siwa could be straight.
A second video, posted by TikToker @kentboyd_, reinforces this perspective. Uploaded just a few hours before Siwa’s, the video shows a group of teens jumping past the screen to Paramore’s “Ain’t it Fun.”
As Hayley Williams sings, “Baby now you’re one of us,” Siwa appears among the group. Then, as the chorus hits, the group engages in a choreographed dance.
The video is tagged #pridehousela, which TikTokers took as even more proof that Siwa had come out.
Despite the skeptics responding to @defnoodles on Twitter, others have reacted positively to Siwa’s assumed coming-out since last night.
“People used to say I looked like ‘an old, gay Jojo Siwa,’ but as of tonight I’ve been upgraded to ‘an old Jojo Siwa,'” @sarahschaur wrote. “This is how Cracker Barrel employees must feel when they earn a star.”
One person playfully blamed Miley Cyrus for Siwa’s new status as a gay icon.
“JOJO SIWA CAME OUT OF THE CLOSET OMG DON’T LEAVE YOUR KIDS WITH MILEY ITS TRUE,” @PinnedReborn wrote.
Once Siwa’s name began trending on Twitter, it was over. Whether or not her Tiktok was intended as a coming out, Siwa is officially gay—and there are memes to prove it. There’s no going back now.
The timing of Siwa’s announcement also sparked jokes. She posted her video on the evening of President Joe Biden’s inauguration, which prompted a slew of Biden/Siwa memes. It didn’t hurt that Siwa’s name was trending under Twitter’s “Politics” tag.
Congrats to Siwa, the new, first openly gay president of the United States.
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