JoJo Siwa addresses fans on TikTok after backlash

JoJo Siwa responded to her millions of followers on TikTok following an adverse online reaction after being accused of calling “lesbian” a “dirty word” in an interview last week.

“I never said that lesbian was a dirty word and I never, ever would say that it’s a dirty word because it is not,” Siwa said in response to a fan comment calling out the former “Dance Moms” star.

“It is not a bad word, it is not a slur, and it is especially not a word that I am ashamed of saying or ashamed of identifying as by any means.”

Siwa said she doesn’t like “the sound” of the word as she read and responded to comments on the app.

“I don’t hate the word lesbian. … Whenever someone talks to me about my sexuality, I just say that I’m gay,” she clarified. “It’s not the word that flows off the tongue for me if that makes sense.”

Siwa came out last year and has dated Kylie Crew since.

The 19-year-old Influencer discussed her “gay icon” status in an interview last week.