JoJo Siwa no longer performing at Chicago Pride event amid controversy

JoJo Siwa is no longer performing at the Back Lot Bash 2025 event taking place during Chicago's Pride weekend. The former Dance Moms and Nickelodeon star was originally scheduled to perform on Sunday, June 29. According to Back Lot Bash's website, however, Siwa is no longer taking the stage this upcoming weekend due to "scheduling conflicts."

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On Sunday, June 22, event organizers updated the Back Lot Bash 2025 lineup with a new slate of performers — which was then shared across the event's website and social media pages. Though "scheduling conflicts" were cited as the reason for the change, this update omitting Siwa's name from the event comes not too long after she discussed feeling pressured into coming out as a lesbian, as well as publicly sharing her relationship with her Celebrity Big Brother UK costar Chris Hughes (best known for his reality TV debut on Love Island.

Because Siwa's relationship with Hughes started on a reality show like Celebrity Big Brother UK — where contestants are even more exposed to audiences than they are in any other reality competition series — their relationship was immediately put under a microscope. In fact, it's one of the most talked-about celebrity relationships right now.

In a recent interview with The Daily Mail, Siwa spoke about her new partner and revealed that she felt "pressured" to identify as a lesbian. Siwa also clarified that she identified more as a queer person. "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 the pressure."

The interviewer asked where she felt that pressure coming from, and Siwa said, "In a weird way, I think it 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."

As of this writing, Siwa hasn't addressed the cancelation of her performance at the Back Lot Bash 2025 taking place during Chicago's Pride weekend.