JoJo Siwa & Former Love Island Star Boyfriend Chris Hughes Have A Massive Age Gap

Because JoJo Siwa transformed from child reality TV star to young adult in the spotlight, her life has always been in the news. But interest in Siwa's relationship history piqued after she came out as LGBTQ+ in 2021. That's why people had a lot to say when she announced in April that she was in a relationship with her former "Celebrity Big Brother" co-star Chris Hughes. However, another eye-raising detail about their relationship somewhat fell through the cracks: their decade-plus age gap. 

That's not entirely surprising. Siwa and Hughes' romance had a controversial timing that got people talking for all the wrong reasons. For starters, Siwa had been dating Australian actor Kath Ebbs when her relationship with the former "Love Island" star blossomed on TV. But she insisted their connection was friendly during the show. Shortly after leaving the house, she broke up with her girlfriend, and a couple of months later, announced she and Hughes were a couple. "It's not platonic any more," she told The Guardian in June.

Besides, the minutiae of Siwa's personal life and sexuality were also on everyone's lips. When Siwa first came out as LGBTQ+, she refused to use labels. But over the following months and years, she used different ones until finally announcing she identified as lesbian. Social media users were quick to problematize how she identifies because of her relationship with a straight man. While their relationship has drawn attention for different reasons, some social media users have focused on their age difference.

JoJo Siwa may be smitten with her British beau, but that doesn't diminish the fact that she is much younger than him. Siwa was born on May 19, 2003, while Chris Hughes was born on December 22, 1992. That makes him 10 years and five months older than her. While their age gap hasn't been the main topic surrounding their unlikely pairing, it didn't go unnoticed. And it wasn't just because of the actual difference, but also because of their ages when they met.

When rumors about their relationship started doing the rounds in early 2025, Siwa was 21 and Hughes was already 32. "She's also emotionally immature given how she was raised to play a little girl into adulthood. Weird vibes all around," one Reddit user noted. But not everyone agreed. "From watching big brother she was actually the most emotionally mature one in there. She's said herself due to working from about 5 years old she feels 10 years ahead in development," wrote another.

Other Redditors pointed out that they're both consenting adults, which should be enough to put an end to the discussion. Hughes seemingly agrees. In April, he defended his relationship with Siwa when an Instagram user (via Daily Mail) deemed their age gap "inappropriate" in one of Siwa's posts. "I have friends who are 50+ too, you weirdo," he replied. The relationship is pretty new, so only time will tell if their age gap will get in the way.