JoJo Queered Big Brother!
By Sassafras Patterdale
Even if, like me, you’ve never watched the Big Brother reality TV show, chances are you’ve heard and followed a bit of what has gone on with JoJo Siwa’s time in the house. JoJo appeared on the latest Celebrity Big Brother UK season and has a very queerly controversial time in the house and on the show. As a result of time in the house, JoJo has indicated that they are exploring their gender, using any/all pronouns. As a result, I’m choosing to use they/them pronouns to refer to JoJo for this article.
Big Brother and Homophobia
JoJo’s early days in the Big Brother House were marked by dealing with homophobia from housemate Mickey Rourke early in the show, who made comments about JoJo’s sexuality. In a homophobic interaction, Rourke commented that JoJo wouldn’t be gay if she spent longer with him. As part of this interaction, Rourke said that he was going to “vote the lesbian out really quick” which JoJo called out as homophobic. In the house, JoJo called out the interaction as having been homophobic, and also garnered support from other housemates. The comments also caused concern from the Big Brother production team, who warned Rourke that his language was unacceptable and that further instances of homophobic language could result in him being removed from the show. Once the episode aired, many viewers were also disgusted, concerned, and sent messages of public support to JoJo.
Exploring New Identities
JoJo kept making news in Celebrity Big Brother UK because of the self-discovery work that took place while on the show. While in the house JoJo disclosed that they didn’t think they were a lesbian anymore, and instead had embraced the word queer as being a more accurate reflection of their identity. While this revelation took some people by surprise, to many queer fans and followers it made sense and seemed to align with the fluid ways that any of us understand our own identities, and also the way that JoJo had talked about their identity since first publicly coming out.
A Big Brother Romance?
By the end of their time in the Big Brother house most of the attention on JoJo became focused on their flirtatious connection. Friendship? Relationship? Chris Hughes raised eyebrows. The two became very close as part of filming the show, much of which was caught by cameras.
Rumors that JoJo was starting a relationship with Hughes (including possibly wearing his ring on a necklace) continued when it became public that JoJo and former partner Kath Ebbs a nonbinary content creator, ended at the Big Brother wrap party when JoJo broke up with Ebbs. Ebbs released a video sharing their side of the situation, saying they felt like JoJo made “love bombed” them only to emotionally cheat on them during filming of the show. For JoJo’s side they have since told the media that their time on the Big Brother show gave them space to reflect on how their life was going, and to re-evaluate their feelings and what they wanted out of life.
JoJo has taken a strong public presence supporting trans and nonbinary rights. At the 2025 GLAAD Media Awards right before going into the Big Brother House JoJo wore a jacket bedazzled with the message “Trans Rights are Human Rights” and “Protect Trans Kids” with a mohawk featuring a rainbow pride flag and a transgender pride flag on the other side. This led many people to wonder if JoJo was questioning their gender and might be starting to come out as nonbinary or trans themself. It’s easy to forget that even though JoJo is a public figure they is still a young person grappling with the same identity-based questions, insecurities, joys and challenges as any of us. The only difference is they are doing it in front of millions of people. Figuring out your identity can be challenging.
About the Author
Sassafras Patterdale’s novels and nonfiction books have been honored by organizations ranging from the American Library Association to the Lambda Literary Foundation and the Dog Writers Association of America. Sassafras’ work has appeared in The New York Times, Wired, and numerous other newspapers and magazines. Sassafras has taught queer writing courses and workshops at LitReactor, the NYC Center For Fiction and at colleges, conferences, and LGBTQ youth centers across the country. You can find more of Sassafras’ written works, including an edited collection exploring LGBTQ+ youth homelessness entitled Kicked Out, at www.SassafrasLowrey.com.
