Demi Lovato’s performance of one of their biggest hits inadvertently helped JoJo Siwa realize she is attracted to women, the teenage reality star revealed during an appearance on Lovato's podcast.
During Wednesday's episode, Siwa opened up about her decision to come out as a member of the LGBTQ community and looked back on the moments that helped define her “gay awakening.”
The former “Dance Moms” star said she clearly remembers one of Lovato's tour performances of “Cool for the Summer” and said she was captivated by Lovato's interactions with a backup dancer.
“I remember seeing that and just being a little too interested,” Siwa recalled, making Lovato laugh.
Siwa, 18, explained how her girlfriend, Kylie Prew, was also affected by the very same concert performance.
“She was there with her mom, and she said, ‘After the show, my mom [said], “Great show, wasn’t it?”’ And Kylie was like, ‘Yup, so great,’” Siwa recalled.
This anecdote seemed to delight Lovato, who replied, “Wow, I’m so happy I could play a role.”
Lovato, who came out as nonbinary in May, has been using their podcast, “4D With Demi Lovato,” as a platform to talk about identity and to share personal stories.
During their chat, Siwa called herself a “walking rainbow” and said her family and friends always seemed to anticipate that she would one day come out.
“Everything about it was just so natural; it was just meant to be,” she said.
One of those friends is now her girlfriend, whom Siwa said she met on a cruise, and Siwa was happy to explain to Lovato how she and Prew took their friendship to the next level.
“I knew right once I saw her, like, ‘Whoa, she’s really pretty, and I really like her.’ But I was just thinking, ‘Oh, like a friend,’” she recalled. “As we became best friends, I was like, ‘Mmm, I don’t think it’s that.’”
Siwa and Prew, who live on opposite sides of the country, then got to spend a Christmas together in Orlando, Florida, Siwa said. That trip made her realize she had romantic feelings for her best friend, she said.
“I couldn’t avoid my feelings. The tension was like, you could cut it with a knife. It was insane,” she said. “I had been with her through boyfriends, and she had been with me through my boyfriend, and we both had never said anything to each other, but we both were secretly super jealous any time that each other would be with anyone else.”
While chatting with Siwa, Lovato applauded the young star for her bravery and for being so honest with her followers.
“I want to give you credit and kudos for coming out, because I know how hard that is for anybody to come out,” Lovato said. “But especially for someone to have their s--- together at your age and to have a grasp on their identity is really powerful and I think really inspiring to a lot of people, especially young people who wait until they’re a lot older to come out.”