JoJo Siwa marks 2 years since she came out as gay: 'I'm so proud of 17-year-old JoJo'

JoJo Siwa is celebrating the second anniversary of her coming out as gay.

On Saturday, Jan. 21, the teen star reflected on the milestone in an Instagram post. In January 2021, the then-17-year-old singer shared a photo of herself wearing a T-shirt that read, "Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever." The shirt reveal came a day after Siwa posted footage of herself lip syncing along to Lady Gaga's LGBTQ anthem "Born This Way," fueling speculation that she was making an announcement about her own sexuality. Siwa later confirmed that she is gay in an interview with Jimmy Fallon, telling the Tonight Show host that "it was a really big risk posting" the shirt photo.

"But if I lost everything that I've created because of being myself and because of loving who I want to love I don't want it. That's not what I want if I can't love who I want to love," Siwa continued.

Two years on, the former Dance Moms star, now 19, says she's "so proud of 17-year-old JoJo." The post drew support from Siwa's Dancing With the Stars partner Jenna Johnson — with whom she made history as the show's first same-sex pair — and Full House star Jodie Sweetin.

In the two years since she's come out, Siwa has used her platform to advocate for LGBTQ representation, which has included calling out Sweetin's former co-star Candace Cameron Bure. In November Bure said the faith-based network Great American Family would focus on "traditional marriage" — as in, between a man and woman — in its stories, a move Siwa called "rude and hurtful to a whole community of people."