This season on Celebrity Big Brother, everyone is talking about the friendship between JoJo Siwa and Chris Hughes. The Dance Moms alum quickly struck up a close bond with the former Love Island contestant. But why is their friendship keeping Celebrity Big Brother viewers on their toes?
CBB is known for bringing unexpected celebrities together. In past seasons, the Celebrity Big Brother edition gave us some of the most iconic reality TV moments ever, like “David’s dead.” But this year, two reality TV stars’ friendship has everyone talking. We have the details on JoJo and Chris’ bond, and why it’s stirring up some controversy, down below.
Chris Hughes and JoJo Siwa struck up a friendship in the Celebrity Big Brother house
From the start of Celebrity Big Brother UK 2025, Chris comforted and defended JoJo when she was harassed by Mickey Rourke. One might call the foundation of this friendship trauma bonding.
In case you missed the Iron Man 2 star’s Celebrity Big Brother controversy, he made homophobic remarks to JoJo. The Special Forces star informed Mickey she’s a lesbian, and that her partner Kath Ebbs is nonbinary. Meanwhile, Mickey claimed she wouldn’t be gay after a few days with him, which is disgusting. Then he vowed to vote “the lesbian out real quick.” JoJo’s partner Kath slammed the Oscar nominee as a “f*cking pathetic weasel.” They also said his comments were “rooted in misogyny and violence.”
Chris was there for JoJo on the show, which strengthened their close bond in the CBB house. The Love Island alum had his own negative experiences with Mickey. The actor fought with Chris during a pirate themed task.
JoJo and Chris’ friendship has grown even more since Mickey’s dramatic exit. For instance, the pop star recently confided in Chris about her gender identity. JoJo and Chris’ interactions also include playful banter and some physical affection. But some viewers wonder if Chris has stronger feelings, and is overstepping the boundaries of friendship.
Why Chris Hughes and JoJo Siwa’s Celebrity Big Brother relationship is controversial
Chris earned praise for defending JoJo after Mickey’s homophobic remarks. However, Chris’ other, more flirty comments about her raised some eyebrows. For instance, he gushed about how her brain turned him on. Another time, when JoJo mentioned wanting kids, Chris offered to father them. The Love Island fan favorite even boasted about his “good swimmers.” He also joked about a Lady and the Tramp moment when she asked if he offered him spaghetti.
In a recent episode, JoJo had to remind Chris that they are just friends. After he chose to share a meal with Jack P. Shepherd, Chris explained why he picked the actor over JoJo. “That was like having a spare ticket to a football match, right, and then … your girlfriend going ‘oh I wanna come’ but knowing deep down if you take your girlfriend, your mates are going to batter you,” Chris said. JoJo had to remind Chris, “I’m not your girlfriend.”
Additionally, some of the CBB housemates accused the friendship of being more strategic than genuine. Daley Thompson and Ella Rae Wise both said the reality stars put on a show for more airtime. This lead Chris to tearfully defend his friendship. “People have made me feel like I can’t have a friendship with JoJo. Or feel like I have to justify a friendship with JoJo … because we get on and we have fun.” He added the naysayers make him “really sad.”
Chris’ brother also defended the connection and emphasized it’s platonic. Appearing on Lorraine, Ben Hughes assured the audience that Chris knows “JoJo is in a solid relationship.” He added, “I just think that they’ve got each other’s backs.”
How Chris Hughes’ ex Olivia Atwood reacted to his JoJo Siwa connection on Celebrity Big Brother
Chris’ ex-girlfriend Olivia Atwood, who he met on Love Island Season 3, chimed in on his Celebrity Big Brother stint. Though the Love Island legend emphasized she wasn’t “swiping” at someone she dated “like a million years ago.”
Olivia assumed her ex would have a showmance with fellow CBB 2025 contestant Ella Rae Wise. A lot of fans made the same prediction before the season began. “But actually,” Olivia said, referencing Chris’ bond with JoJo, “this makes way more sense.” Interesting!
Some CBB viewers were also weirded out by Chris and JoJo’s age gap. He is 32, while JoJo is 21 year old. Olivia referenced this in her TikTok, emphasizing, “JoJo is very young.” Then she added, “and very famous,” while making a face. This seemed to imply that Chris could be using the JoJo connection to boost his own profile. And possibly to break into the US industry. That’s also a popular theory amongst CBB viewers.
We’ll have to keep watching Celebrity Big Brother to see how Chris and JoJo’s bond develops, and if their friendship will last out in the real world.
Celebrity Big Brother is streaming on ITVX.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF JOJO AND CHRIS’ FRIENDSHIP ON CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER? IS CHRIS CROSSING ANY BOUNDARIES WITH JOJO?
