American Idol alum Clay Aiken randomly introduced up Shawn Mendes’ sexuality throughout an interview with Selection whereas selling his new Christmas album.
Whereas kicking off his chat with reporter, Rebecca Rubin, the 45-year-old singer requested if Mendes had ‘come out right this moment.’
‘Have you ever seen this video on his Instagram? I didn’t end watching it as a result of I appeared on the time and I used to be like, “Oh God, I gotta get on the pc.” So I don’t know if he actually did,’ the Invisible hitmaker requested Rubin.
Earlier than ending his sentence, Aiken, who got here out as homosexual in 2008 after years of hypothesis, clarified that he ‘shouldn’t out him if he didn’t.’
When requested how he felt about folks speculating about Mendes’ sexuality, Aiken admitted he was shocked folks have been nonetheless publicly commenting on one thing so intrusive to the star.
‘I really feel like nobody has speculated about shit since 2000 — since I went via that c**p,’ the father-of-one instructed the outlet. ‘I joke that after I got here out publicly, it stopped being a narrative.’
American Idol alum Clay Aiken randomly introduced up Shawn Mendes ‘ sexuality throughout an interview with Selection whereas selling his new Christmas album; seen in 2021
He continued: ‘I don’t know that anyone has had press in that method, like tabloid tales or questions by Diane Sawyer.’
Aiken theorized that line of public hypothesis within the media started to die down after ‘folks received bored’ of it.
‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Inform resulted in 2011 so America got here to phrases with us gays a bit higher,’ he mentioned. ‘Now we have insisted our media turn out to be extra empathetic. Press can’t invade in the best way they used to have the ability to invade. And that’s nice.’
Aiken, then, acknowledged he didn’t wish to ‘derail this’ or add to the listing of individuals speculating about Mendes however that one thing ‘got here up’ on his ‘display proper earlier than’ they started the interview.
His remarks have been almost definitely in reference to footage shared from the intimate second that Mendes addressed his love life throughout his live performance in Denver final month.
Whereas addressing his followers, the performer said: ‘There’s this factor about my sexuality, and other people have been speaking about it so lengthy,’ he added, saying it was ‘type of foolish, as a result of I feel sexuality is such a fantastically complicated factor, and it is so arduous to simply put into bins.’
‘The true reality about my life and my sexuality is that, man, I am simply figuring it out like everybody.’
‘It at all times felt like such an intrusion on one thing very private to me. One thing that I used to be determining in myself, one thing that I had but to find and nonetheless have but to find it.’
Whereas kicking off his chat with reporter, Rebecca Rubin, the 45-year-old singer, who got here out as homosexual in 2008 after years of hypothesis, requested if Mendes had ‘come out right this moment’ (seen this month)
‘And it feels actually scary as a result of we stay in a society that has so much to say about that. And I am making an attempt to be actually courageous and simply permit myself to be a human and really feel issues. And that is all I actually wish to say about that for now.’
Mendes additionally shared: ‘I used to be actually younger once I began. I used to be 15 years outdated. The reality is that I did not get to do lots of 15-year-old issues and uncover components of myself that you simply do at 15.’
The artist additionally sings about his sexuality on his new tune, The Mountain.
The lyrics to the tune embody the road: ‘You’ll be able to say I am too younger/You’ll be able to say I am too outdated/You’ll be able to say I like women or boys, no matter matches your mildew.’
When requested how he felt about folks speculating about Mendes’ sexuality, Aiken admitted he was shocked folks have been nonetheless publicly commenting on one thing so intrusive to the star (pictured in January 2024)
He beforehand mentioned hypothesis about his sexuality in a 2018 Rolling Stone interview.
‘I assumed, “You f*****g guys are so fortunate I am not truly homosexual and petrified of popping out,’ he mentioned on the time.
‘That is one thing that kills folks. That is how delicate it’s. Do you just like the songs? Do you want me? Who cares if I am homosexual?’
He additionally spoke about feeling the strain to be seen out with girls so as to show he was ‘not homosexual.’
‘At the back of my coronary heart, I really feel like I have to go be seen with somebody — like a lady — in public, to show to those who I’m not homosexual. Though in my coronary heart I do know that it’s not a foul factor. There’s nonetheless a bit of me that thinks that. And I hate that aspect of me.’
In 2019, Shawn mentioned whispers about his sexuality have been ‘hurtful’ in an interview with The Guardian.
The celebrity addressed ongoing rumors about his sexuality as soon as extra in 2020, on the Dax Shepard podcast.
His remarks have been almost definitely in reference to footage shared from the intimate second that Mendes addressed his love life throughout his live performance in Denver final month
‘It was so, so irritating for me as a result of there have been some folks in my life that I used to be very very near, who have been homosexual and within the closet,’ he shared.
‘And I felt like this actual anger for these folks. It’s such a difficult factor. You wish to say, “I’m not homosexual nevertheless it’d be superb if I used to be homosexual — but additionally there’s nothing unsuitable with being homosexual however I’m not.” You don’t actually understand how to answer the scenario.’
‘Everybody’s been calling me homosexual since I used to be 15 years outdated. I’m not homosexual and I’m like, “What does that imply?” I had these issues with the best way my voice sounded. I’m like, “How do I sit?” I’m at all times first to cross my legs and sit with a place of this female type and I actually suffered with that s**t.’
He additionally flatly denied that he was homosexual in a Snapchat message to his followers in 2016, whereas urging them to focus on his work.
‘So I do not often do that and produce up issues, however I used to be on YouTube simply watching a few of my interviews, and I used to be happening the feedback and observed lots of people have been saying that I gave them a “homosexual vibe,”‘ he mentioned.
Though he has been the item of untamed hypothesis about his sexuality, Shawn has solely ever publicly dated girls, equivalent to fellow singers Camila Cabello (seen in 2021)
‘To begin with, I am not homosexual. Second of all, it should not make a distinction if I used to be or if I wasn’t. The main focus ought to be on the music and never my sexuality.’
Though he has been the item of untamed hypothesis about his sexuality, Shawn has solely ever publicly dated girls, equivalent to fellow singers Camila Cabello and Sabrina Carpenter.
He additionally beforehand sparked romance rumors along with his chiropractor, Dr. Jocelyne Miranda, 52, final yr.
Shawn was additionally linked to Massive Brother UK’s Charlie Travers in 2023.
