"She's just making up things now": Ben Shapiro comments on JoJo Siwa claiming she no longer identifies as a lesbian but is "queer"

On April 26, 2025, podcaster Ben Shapiro discussed JoJo Siwa’s evolving views on her s*xual orientation during The Ben Shapiro Show podcast. On the same day, Shapiro posted a clip from the podcast to his channel's official X account. In the clip, he is seen reacting to Siwa’s recent comments that she no longer identified as a "lesbian", but instead as "queer".

"She says that she feels most similar to non-binary people—she isn’t ready to label herself beyond queer. Oh, these terms mean nothing, honest to God, she’s just making up things now," the podcaster exclaimed.

JoJo Siwa is a children’s entertainer turned pop star who came out as a lesbian in 2021. According to an April 24, 2025 report by USA Today, during the April 22, 2025 livestream of Celebrity Big Brother UK, the 21-year-old Siwa told fellow contestant Danny Beard that she felt “queer” better described her than “lesbian.”

In the aforementioned podcast episode, Shapiro played a clip from the April 22 Celebrity Big Brother UK livestream where Siwa noted that she was "switching letters" from the 'L' to the 'Q' in LGBTQ.

"It's made me feel so queer and I've always been afraid of feeling queer... I think that's the thing, I've always told myself, 'I'm a lesbian', and I think being here I've realized: 'Oh, I'm not a lesbian, I'm queer.' And I think that's really cool," she said in the video clip

Reacting to the video, Shapiro criticized the focus on Siwa’s identity shifts. He further added that the "West" was a "deeply unserious place now" because instead of focusing on more pressing societal issues, people were busy "worrying about whether JoJo Siwa" and her s*xual identity.

"There are actual real things happening in the West, and we’re worrying about whether JoJo Siwa identifies as a lesbian—a woman who wants to have s*xual relations with other women—or queer—a woman who wants to have s*xual relations with women and maybe others," the podcaster said.

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Ben Shapiro discusses JoJo Siwa’s claims on her s*xuality, says she’s “like a butterfly emerging from the chrysalis”

JoJo Siwa at the 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards - Show (Image via Getty)

During the aforementioned episode of his podcast, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro weighed in on JoJo Siwa’s evolving discussions about her gender identity and s*xuality. Shapiro played a brief clip from another episode from the Celebrity Big Brother UK, where Siwa opened up about her feelings towards gender and identity.

"I’ve met a lot of females, love them. Don’t feel like I’m them. Met a lot of males — love them, definitely (but I’m) not them. Met a lot of people in my life that are nonbinary, and these beautiful nonbinary people are who I feel the most like," Siwa said in the clip.

According to the USA Today article, the aforementioned revelation came shortly after fellow castmate Mickey Rourke made inappropriate comments regarding her s*xual orientation, leading to his exit from the show.

Referring to the clip, Shapiro questioned Siwa’s self-descriptive statements about feeling most aligned with "nonbinary" individuals.

"She added that non-binary people are the people she feels most like…. how can she feel like that? Like does she feel like a chicken today or a penguin or like what?” Shapiro remarked.

Shapiro also noted how Siwa's journey of self-discovery seemed sudden and dramatic

"Oh wow she’s like a butterfly emerging from the chrysalis," he added sarcastically.

Shapiro further reflected on Siwa’s childhood career as a "Nickelodeon star," commenting on how most former child celebrities "end up absolutely screwed up at every possible level."

At present, JoJo Siwa is busy with her music career, including her JoJo Siwa Live tour. Her latest song Karma, was released on April 1, 2024.