JoJo Siwa will no longer be performing at this year’s Back Lot Bash during Chicago’s Pride weekend. The pop star and former Dance Moms and Nickelodeon sensation was originally set to headline on Sunday, 29 June. However, the event’s website now lists her as no longer appearing, citing “scheduling conflicts” as the reason for her withdrawal.
On Sunday, 22 June, organisers released an updated lineup on Back Lot Bash’s website and social media channels, confirming Siwa’s removal and introducing a fresh roster of performers for the weekend.
While officially attributed to scheduling issues, Siwa’s exit follows a wave of media attention surrounding her recent comments about sexuality and her current relationship with Celebrity Big Brother UK costar Chris Hughes, best known from Love Island.
In a recent Daily Mail interview, Siwa opened up about feeling “pressured” to label herself as a lesbian after initially coming out as pansexual at age 17. “When I came out, I said, ‘I’m pansexual, because I don’t care [about gender],’” Siwa explained. “But then I kind of boxed myself in and I said, ‘I’m a lesbian.’ And I think I did that because of the pressure.”
She elaborated that the pressure partially stemmed from within the LGBTQ+ community itself. “In a weird way, I think it came a little bit from inside the community… from people I know, from partners I’ve had,” Siwa shared. “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.”
The relationship between Siwa and Hughes — which began in the very public spotlight of a reality TV show — has quickly become one of the most discussed celebrity romances of the moment, adding further layers of scrutiny to Siwa’s evolving public identity.
