Shawn Mendes recently made headlines with a heartfelt speech during his performance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. While introducing his new song, The Mountain, Mendes, now 26, addressed the ongoing public speculation about his sexuality — and for the first time, openly admitted he’s still “figuring it out.”
“Sexuality is such a beautifully complex thing”
– Shawn Mendes
Reflecting on his career, which started at just 15, Mendes shared that growing up in the public eye left little room for self-exploration. “I didn’t get to do a lot of 15-year-old things and discover parts of myself,” he explained. Mendes noted the irony of others making assumptions about his sexuality, calling it “silly” that society tries to categorize such a deeply personal aspect of his identity. “I think sexuality is such a beautifully complex thing, and it’s so hard to just put into boxes,” he said. “Something that I was figuring out in myself, something that I had yet to discover — and still have yet to discover.”
Mendes’ raw honesty touched fans, many of whom praised him for his vulnerability in an age where public figures are often pressured to fit societal expectations. “The real truth about my life and my sexuality is that, man, I’m just figuring it out like everyone,” Mendes continued. “I don’t really know sometimes, and I know other times.” He expressed both the fear and freedom in being candid with his fans, admitting that sharing this side of himself felt “really scary” but also liberating.
Throughout his career, Mendes has been linked to high-profile relationships, most notably with Camila Cabello. The two made headlines with their intense romance, which played out both on stage and off, especially through their hit Señorita. But even after their split, rumours swirled, leaving Mendes to address his personal life and relationships on multiple occasions.
In a 2018 Rolling Stone interview, Mendes admitted feeling pressured to publicly showcase his relationships to combat rumours. “I feel like I need to go be seen with someone — like a girl — in public to prove to people that I’m not gay,” he said at the time. He also revealed struggles with his own perceptions, noting how societal stereotypes affected his self-image and how he presented himself. “I had these problems with the way my voice sounded. I’m always first to cross my legs and sit with a position of this feminine style, and I really suffered with that,” he shared in 2020.
In recent years, the Mendes-Cabello dynamic has continued to captivate fans. After their 2021 breakup, they publicly rekindled their connection briefly in 2023 with a kiss at Coachella. Still, they’ve chosen to remain friends, with Mendes emphasizing their mutual respect. In an interview with Jay Shetty, Mendes described their post-breakup relationship as “brutal” but emphasized their closeness, saying, “We deeply respect each other.” Cabello echoed this sentiment in her Call Her Daddy podcast interview, where she described their reunion as “fun” but ultimately decided the timing wasn’t right.
Shortly after his 2024 Red Rocks performance, the 26-year-old spoke further on the former couple’s relationship dynamic, telling The New York Times that it “bugs me” when people think he and Cabello are “against each other in a weird way.”
“I have nerves just even speaking about it, just what people would say. But honestly, if something was to happen in my family and if something was to happen to me, she’d probably be the first person I call, to this day,” he shared, adding, “Our relationship is teaching me what love means, in a big way.”
More recently, Mendes has faced rumours surrounding his potential relationships with Sabrina Carpenter, chiropractor Jocelyne Miranda, and even Big Brother alum Charlie Travers. But while photos with Carpenter and Travers sparked fan theories, none of these romances were ever confirmed.
