“They’re watching this unfold like it’s déjà vu — and they’re scared.”
Behind JoJo Siwa’s bold statements and glittering appearances lies a storm quietly brewing at home. Sources close to the Siwa family reveal her parents are “deeply unsettled” by her rekindled relationship with British reality star Chris Hughes — and even more so after JoJo’s recent bombshell admission that she felt “pressured” into labeling herself a lesbian during the peak of her fame.
According to insiders, JoJo’s mother, Jessalynn Siwa, who has long been both a supportive figure and a fierce protector of her daughter’s image, was “heartbroken” by the interview. “Jess feels like JoJo’s identity was turned into a marketing tool — something that was manipulated by people around her when she was still figuring things out,” a family friend disclosed. “She blames the industry, but she also questions the motives of those who came into JoJo’s life during that vulnerable time… including Chris.”
Chris Hughes, 32, shot to fame on Love Island UK, and began dating JoJo shortly after her departure from Celebrity Big Brother. While the romance initially raised eyebrows due to the couple’s 10-year age gap and drastically different public personas, the real tension now stems from how much influence Chris has over JoJo — and what that means for her already turbulent emotional journey.
“Her parents are walking on eggshells,” the insider continues. “They don’t want to push JoJo away, but they also don’t trust Chris. They see someone who enjoys the spotlight a little too much, and fear he’s encouraging JoJo to rebrand in ways that aren’t true to her.”
The anxiety only grew after JoJo's raw sit-down interview, in which she tearfully confessed she had declared herself a lesbian in 2021 out of “pressure to make a statement.” She admitted that although she did feel something “real and beautiful” with her then-girlfriend Kylie Prew, she hadn’t fully explored what her sexuality meant before being swept into global headlines. “I was 17, and suddenly I had to be a flag-bearer for an entire identity I was still figuring out,” she said.
That confession hit hard in Nebraska. “JoJo’s dad, Tom, has kept a low profile, but privately, he’s livid,” the family source says. “He believes Chris is part of a new wave of opportunists. JoJo’s still trying to find herself, and they think this relationship is clouding her path.”
Meanwhile, Chris has remained largely silent on the controversy, only posting cryptic messages to his Instagram stories, including one that read: “People love to have an opinion on a story they only know one chapter of.” But for the Siwa family, it’s not about public image — it’s about personal healing. And they fear that in the pursuit of romance and reinvention, JoJo is once again being nudged into roles she hasn’t chosen for herself.
“She was pressured once before,” the insider adds. “Her parents just pray it’s not happening all over again.”
