JoJo Siwa is revealing the one topic she and her boyfriend, Chris Hughes, don’t discuss in their one-year relationship after he spoke up for her against online trolls.
“He’s always very supportive, and I actually just read that same article,” Siwa, 23, exclusively told Us at the junket for Fox’s Nation’s Dumbest on Thursday, July 9. “I saw the comments online, but then I saw him speak to someone over in the U.K. and he really praised how I handle [criticism].”
Siwa explained, “It’s interesting because there’s sort of an element to our relationship where we actually don’t speak about it. We don’t speak about that.”
The pair, who met on the set of Celebrity Big Brother UK in 2025, chose not to focus on the online chatter, but when the former Dance Moms star read that Hughes, 33, stood up for her, a light bulb went off.
JoJo Siwa, Chris Hughes Robin L Marshall/Getty Images
“Everyone wants to feel proud, right? And so it gave me a chance to go, ‘Oh, he’s proud of me for how I handle it. I do handle it good, right? And he thinks that, right?’” she continued. “He thinks that of me, and so that was actually really nice for me to read because we don’t speak about it to protect ourselves from it. We choose to have our stuff just be positive, fun, loving conversations, not negative stuff.”
That doesn’t mean they won’t have hard conversations, although those seem to be few and far between.
“If we ever need to, we do. There’s only been one time with him where I’ve been like, ‘I’m not good right now,’ and he’s there for me,” Siwa told Us.
The dancer-turned-singer and reality star is gearing up for her latest adventure.
Things are heating up between JoJo Siwa and Chris Hughes. The couple met while they were both contestants on the U.K.’s Celebrity Big Brother in April 2025. Viewers started to speculate that the duo were becoming more than just friends while the show was airing. However, Siwa continually denied that her relationship with Hughes was […]
Siwa’s smarts will be put to the ultimate test alongside celebrities like Dr. Drew Pinsky, Carmen Electra, Ice-T, Steve-O, Hilaria Baldwin, Elle King and more, as they compete in Fox’s new game show, where the goal is to not be crowned the Nation’s Dumbest.
British comedian Jack Whitehall oversees the mayhem as contestants fight not to stay in the competition but to go home.
“Summer school is in session with the debut of Nation’s Dumbest, a new celebrity competition series that flips the traditional format on its head — because this is the only show where winning is the last thing anyone wants,” reads the official show synopsis. “Taking attendance as host is acclaimed comedian Jack Whitehall, who presides over the chaos as contestants relive the highs and humiliations of school life — from pop quizzes and report cards to recess and parent teacher conferences — all while trying to stay out of last place.”
Things are heating up between JoJo Siwa and Chris Hughes. The couple met while they were both contestants on the U.K.’s Celebrity Big Brother in April 2025. Viewers started to speculate that the duo were becoming more than just friends while the show was airing. However, Siwa continually denied that her relationship with Hughes was […]
The description concludes: “Each week, the ‘smartest’ celebrity graduates, narrowing the field until a high-stakes final exam determines who will be left standing with the distinction no one wants — the title of The Nation’s Dumbest.”
Siwa is confident in her abilities and her relationship. When asked if Hughes would give her a run for her money if he joined the show, she once again proved they work best as a unit.
“I think we actually have a different world of smarts. I think Chris is really knowledgeable. Obviously, he’s a bit older than me, and so he has more life knowledge. But I also think he’s really knowledgeable in the world of sports, in the world of horses,” she told Us. “He has his worlds that he’s really knowledgeable in, whereas I have my worlds that I’m really knowledgeable in. So I think together we come with a lot of separate knowledge. I would say we’re pretty equal when it comes to smarts.”
Nation’s Dumbest debuts on Fox Wednesday, July 15, at 9 p.m. ET and streams the next day on Hulu.
