Jonas didn't shy away from discussing the purity ring he wore as a teenage Disney star prior to losing his virginity. He specifically responded to one fan's question about a 2009 South Park episode poking fun at his past commitment to sexual abstinence. As it turns out, Jonas wasn't amused watching fake Mickey Mouse beating up cartoon Jonas Brothers and forcing them to wear the rings.
"When it first came out I didn't think it was funny to be honest, but probably because I was actually living all of that in real time and so it just made it harder to come and live your life as a young person and have all that going on," wrote Jonas, whose ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez also spoke out about the rings last year. "But years later and once the purity rings were no longer around, it was very funny to me and I've actually watched the episode a few times."
Another Reddit user – who admitted, "[I'm] not a huge fan, but I still respect your career," and insisted they weren't "being snarky" – wanted to know if he was serious about "abstaining from gettin' down" or if it was "part of your marketing to families and young kids."
The user continued: "Did you just bail on it once a bunch fine women started throwing themselves at you? Or you still trying to be pure and whatnot? I'm just trying to understand because you should be able pull like Leo no problem."
Jonas handled the questions with grace, writing, "Thanks for the question. And I don't think you're being snarky, I think it's a very good question. I'd like to start by saying this: I came from an incredibly religious home, growing up my dad was a pastor, and much like The First Family or people in front of the public eye, we were highly scrutinized as a family within the church and looked at as, well I guess you would call an example of what that family image should be. So long before our career started in music, that was what we were dealing with."
For Jonas, abstaining from sex came with the territory. "There was a person in the church who at one point demanded that all the kids in the youth group put these purity rings on and make this commitment, so without a full understanding of what we were stepping into, we all made this commitment," he shared.
Eventually, "I started making my own choices, fell in love with somebody, made the choice to have sex with them, and from that point on it was about me being a man and being okay with my choices. And then it related to my art and people's view of me and the public eye."
Ultimately, Jonas focuses on the good that came out of the decision. "But I think when I'm looking back on it, although it was challenging to live with that, to be seen and have that attached to our name was very tough," he explained. "I think it was a good thing. It gave me a really good perspective to where as now my main thing is about being okay with who I am as a man and the choices I've made, and I think everyone should have a good and solid conversation with either their parents or loved ones about sex and about what they want to do with their life, because it shouldn't be taboo."
As of Friday morning, the top question and answer came from a user who asked what the singer thinks about Miley Cyrus, his "first crush" from his Disney days.
"To answer the first part, it's been a while since I spoke to Miley, but I think that the persona is awesome and I think that she is living proof that you can continue to evolve as an artist and a creator," Jonas, 23, wrote. "And I'm a huge Woody Allen fan, so I'm looking forward to seeing the show that she's doing with him."
