JoJo Siwa abruptly cancels gay pride gig after 'pressure' to brand her sexuality

JoJo Siwa has abruptly pulled out of a gay pride performance just hours after revealing she felt "pressured" to brand herself a lesbian. The 22-year-old American singer has been on a high profile romantic journey since April this year when she met Love Island star Chris Hughes in the UK Celebrity Big Brother house.

Viewers watched on in surprise as the pair grew closer and closer over the course of their time in the house. Eyebrows were raised as JoJowas dating an Australian content creator called Kath Ebbs at the time.

Once the show ended, Kath was almost immediately dumped by the Dance Moms star and days later it was revealed she and 32-year-old Chris had embarked on a romance. This week, JoJo, who identifies as queer, explained that she had been pressured to declare herself a lesbian.

And in the wake of this declaration, it has been revealed she has dropped out at performing at an LGBTQ+ event later this month. She had been due to perform at the Back Lot Bash in Chicago as part of their Chicago Pride Sunday party on June 29.

But the organization suddenly announced on Saturday morning that this would no longer be the case. The venue wrote on social media: "Due to a scheduling conflict, JoJo Siwa will no longer be performing at Chicago's Back Lot Bash" - without and further explanation.

The Mirror has contacted a representative of JoJo for comment. The abrupt cancellation follows news that the star had cancelled a planned tour.

She revealed via her official website earlier this month: "I've got some news that breaks my heart to share... my US tour has to be postponed. I promise I'll be back before you know it to perform for all the beautiful people in the US!... Announcements will be coming soon, including some Europe shows!:)"

It added: "Thank you so much for your understanding and support. I can't wait to see you all soon! To my Dream Guest VIPs, my team will be reaching out to you individually to plan something special. Refunds will be issued at point of purchase."

Her Chicago Pride cancellation comes a day after she gave a candid interview to the Daily Mail in which she opened up about her sexuality journey. She told the publication: "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 continued: "‘In a weird way, I think [the pressure] came a little bit from inside the [LGBTQ] community at times. From people I know, from partners I’ve had.

"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."

In a recent chat with TMZ, JoJo also addressed the ongoing scrutiny that she's been subjected to as fans have dissected her love life. She told the outlet: "The thing is, love is a beautiful rainbow and I think that the LGBTQIA+ community needs to remember that love is love and think the hate from within the community is something I've learned a lot from and I think that a lot of people get to grow from and I'm on of those people.

"I think that again I can give you an example of love is love, you can be happy..."

Fans could soon see a lot more of JoJo and Chris and their apparent blossoming love - as rumours abound that ITV is preparing to offer them a reality show of their own.

A source told The Sun: "It's still in the early stages but ITV really think they'd be amazing TV with their own show. Fans around the world are obsessed with their relationship and there are so many TikTok accounts devoted to their love story."

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