Shawn Mendes knows that there is intense curiosity about his private life, including his sexuality.

Since he became a music superstar around 2013, at age 14, rumors have circulated about his sexual orientation. Mendes – whose former celebrities include Camila Cabello and Sabrina Carpenter — previously stated that he was not gay. She later confessed that she felt the need to put an end to the rumors by making her love life public.

“Deep down in my heart, I feel like I need to be seen with someone, as a girl, in public, to show people that I’m not gay,” he said. rolling stone in 2018. “Although in my heart I know it’s not a bad thing. There’s still a part of me that thinks that. And I hate that side of me.”

Dialogue on the topic evolved over the years, and in October 2024, he publicly shared that he was trying to discover your sexuality.

“The real truth about my life and my sexuality is, man, I’m just figuring it out like everyone else. “Sometimes I really don’t know and other times I know,” the singer said at a concert, according to fan footage posted on social media at the time. “It’s very scary because we live in a society that has a lot to say about it. I’m trying to be really brave and allow myself to be human and feel things. That’s all I want to say about it for now.”

Keep scrolling to see everything Mendes has said about his sexuality over the years:

Address speculation

mendes addressed his sexuality for the first time in 2016.

“I don’t usually do this and bring up issues, but I was on YouTube watching some of my interviews, going through the comments, and I noticed a lot of people saying it gave them a ‘gay vibe.’ ‘First of all, I’m not gay,’ he said in a series of videos. “Secondly, it shouldn’t make any difference whether it was or not. The focus should be on the music and not on my sexuality.”

The “Stitches” singer encouraged his fans not to make assumptions about a person based on their mannerisms. He added that while he is attracted to girls, he didn’t care if people referred to him as gay, unless it was an insult.

“I’m frustrated because nowadays people have the audacity to write online that I’m gay as if it’s a bad thing. That’s all I have to say about it,” Mendes shared. “I just want that one percent of people to grow up. “I love you guys.”

Not understanding the interest

Mendes shared that he didn’t understand why so many people were concerned about the idea of ​​his sexuality.

“I thought, ‘You fucking guys are so lucky that I’m not actually gay and I’m not afraid to come out.’ “That’s something that kills people,” he told rolling stone in 2018. “That’s how sensitive he is. Do you like the songs? Do you like me? Who cares if I’m gay?

Get frustrated

The “Treat You Better” musician opened up about the toll it took on him to deal with rumors about his sexuality.

“Everyone has called me gay since I was 15 years old. I’m not gay and I’m like, ‘What does that mean?’ I had these issues with the way my voice sounded,” he said during an episode of the “Armchair Expert” podcast in December 2020. “I ask myself, ‘How do I feel?’ I’m always the first to cross my legs and sit in this feminine style position and I really suffered with that shit. I think a lot of kids go through that and, even worse, there are a lot of kids who are gay and in the closet and they must be hearing things like that and saying, ‘I’m terrified of coming out.’ “

Mendes shared that the speculation about him made him feel upset, especially for the LGBTQIA+ people in his life who were struggling to come out.

“There were some people in my life that I was very, very close to, who were gay and in the closet. And I felt real anger for those people,” he continued. “It’s such a complicated thing. You want to say, “I’m not gay, but it would be fine if I were gay, but there’s also nothing wrong with being gay and I’m not.” “You really don’t know how to respond to the situation.”

putting it into song

Mendes released a preview of a new song titled “The Mountain” at a concert in October 2024 and the lyrics influenced his personal life.

“Some days I change my mind / You can say whatever you need to say / You can say I’m too young / You can say I’m too old / You can say I like girls or boys / Whatever suits your needs moldy” , he sang to the crowd according to images on social media.

Questioning yourself

While on stage at an intimate concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado, Mendes, 26 years old at the time, spoke to the crowd to let them know that he was “discovering” his sexuality like everyone else.

“I think it’s a bit silly because I think sexuality is a wonderfully complex thing and it’s very difficult to pigeonhole,” he said. “It always felt like an intrusion into something very personal to me. Something I was discovering in myself. Something I had yet to discover and still have to discover.”