Jojo Siwa has stirred up controversy after appearing to go along with a fake viral rumor that she is pregnant

• Rumors that Jojo Siwa is pregnant have been circulating online for the past month.

• The "Dance Mom" star denied being pregnant but has appeared to poke fun at the speculation.

• Some fans are now criticizing her for being insensitive toward people with fertility issues.

Fans of former "Dance Moms" star Jojo Siwa have been furiously discussing viral pregnancy rumors.

Over the past month, one corner of the internet has been up in arms over a viral rumor that Jojo Siwa could be pregnant.

It began with a few photos of Siwa holding her stomach that circulated on social media in early March, and sprouted into full-on speculation about the 19-year-old star's previous relationships and personal life.

Siwa appears to have shut down the rumors, saying in one Snapchat story from March 27 that she is not planning on having a child until she is older, and that as a gay woman, she is perhaps more likely to adopt when she does eventually decide to become a parent.

But in other posts on her Snapchat account, Siwa appeared to poke fun at the rumors, posting photos of herself pushing her belly out and holding her stomach, causing several people to accuse her of being "insensitive" towards people who have experienced difficulties with fertility or pregnancy.

Here's how the conversation unfolded.

Jojo Siwa has been single since December.

Siwa rose to fame after starring in two seasons of the dancing reality show "Dance Moms" in 2015, after coming fifth in a spin-off show competition "Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition" in 2013 at the age of nine.

After leaving "Dance Moms," Siwa continued to forge her own career creating vlogs on YouTube, releasing her own singles, and having small roles in children's TV shows and movies.

Siwa came out as queer in 2021 on TikTok, posting a video in which she lip-synced along to Lady Gaga's queer anthem "Born This Way" while wearing a bow with rainbows on it.

A month after coming out, Siwa revealed she was dating her first girlfriend Kylie Prew, with whom she had an on-off relationship. After breaking up with Prew last summer, Siwa dated a TikTok creator called Avery Cyrus for three months.

After the breakup in December, Siwa began to speak negatively about the relationship. In a video posted to her mother's Instagram, Siwa said she had been used "for views and for clout."

Cyrus told People that their relationship ended on "great terms," adding: "I'm still very hurt that JoJo broke up with me and am saddened and confused by the situation."

Siwa has been single since the breakup.

The pregnancy rumors began with photos of Siwa holding her stomach.

In early March, two photos of Siwa began to circulate online. The posts appeared to be screenshots from a Snapchat story.

One showed her holding her stomach along with an on-screen caption on the post read, "Can't believe it." The other showed her holding a baby romper with a caption that read, "Baby clothes shopping is my new favorite."

The posts are no longer available to view on her account and Insider was unable to independently verify that they were posted by Siwa.

On Twitter and TikTok, people expressed surprise and speculated that she was making a pregnancy announcement.

Some suggested they thought Siwa, 19, was too young to have a child, and others expressed surprise given Siwa's most recent relationship was with a woman, speculating as to who the father would be.

In the comments of one viral TikTok, people were skeptical, pointing out that is relatively common for people to post pictures of their stomachs while joking that they are pregnant, referring to it as a "food baby."

Siwa appeared to shut down the rumors with a TikTok post.

On March 7, Siwa stitched the viral TikTok, appearing to deny the pregnancy rumors.

The clip showed the viral photos of Siwa holding her stomach, before cutting to a video of Siwa laughing and shaking her head.

Fans of Siwa commented under the post, saying they were glad she appeared to be shutting down the rumors, and that they did not believe she was pregnant. Some insinuated this is because Siwa has previously said she is not attracted to men.

"Jojo be like how many times must I come out of the closet for you all," read one top comment with 13,000 likes.

As others pointed out, women can become pregnant using a sperm donor, so it would not be completely out of the question for Siwa to announce a pregnancy.

A further image of Siwa began doing the rounds on social media.

Towards the end of March, the photos began to recirculate online.

Another image that appeared to look like a Snapchat story also did the rounds, showing Siwa holding her stomach while an on-screen caption on the post reads "TEAM BOY OR TEAM GIRL."

This purported Snapchat post is no longer available to view on Siwa's account, and Insider was unable to independently verify it was posted there.

In the comments sections of these posts, some people appeared shocked, believing she could be pregnant, while others responded saying this is a common prank she pulls on her followers.

Siwa appeared to mock the rumors on Snapchat.

On March 27, Siwa posted a Snapchat video with her friend and fellow dancer Ezra Sosa, in which Sosa can be seen touching Siwa's stomach, and saying, "You know that everyone thinks I'm the dad, right?"

In a follow-up post on her story, Siwa shared a screenshot from the video with an on-screen caption that read, "The father of my baby!!"

The post is no longer available to view but was seen by Insider.

The former "Dance Moms" star also posted two collections of photos on Snapchat on March 26 and 27, showing her shopping for baby clothes and accessories.

She later said in a post, which was seen by Insider, that she wanted to buy the items for any of her fans who were expecting a child, asking people to reply to her post if they wanted to receive products from the giveaway.

Backlash began to brew, as some accused Siwa of being "insensitive" towards those with fertility or pregnancy issues.

Siwa's Snapchat stories sparked a heated discussion on various social media platforms, as several users said they thought the posts were insensitive towards people who have struggled to conceive a child and who might be offended by the posts.

"Hot take but Jojo siwa feeding into the pregnancy 'rumors'  just doesn't sit right with me. We all know she's not pregnant, and it's incredibly insensitive to those dealing with infertility/pregnancy loss. People have been saying for years not to joke about that shit," wrote one Twitter user.

"Why is no one calling out Jojo Siwa for faking a pregnancy for clicks," wrote another.

"As someone who just had a miscarriage, fuck people who think faking pregnant is funny. It's so wildly fucked up," wrote one user in a Reddit thread discussing Siwa's posts.

Siwa opened up about wanting to have children at some point in the future on Snapchat.

On March 27, Siwa addressed the online speculation once more, saying that she wanted to share a "storytime" with her fans to explain her thoughts on how she might plan to have children in the future as a gay woman.

"It's not the social norm how I will end up having kids one day," she said.

"Biologically to have kids you need a male and a female, and kids watch this, so I'm not going to talk about how babies are made, but babies are made with male and female," she added, going on to say, "there will never be that male significant other in my life."

Siwa went on to explain what the process of looking for a sperm donor might look like for her and a future partner, also saying that she has often thought about adopting a child as a preferable option as well.

The former "Dance Moms" star reaffirmed to fans that the time when she would be considering having her own children is "very far away" in the future, adding, "I have accepted that the universe wants me to be single right now."

Representatives for Jojo Siwa did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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