Shawn Mendes Finally Addresses Love Triangle with Camila & Sabrina!
It seems Shawn Mendes is finally opening up about the rumored love triangle that had fans buzzing earlier this year. In a new interview, the “Stitches” singer seemed to allude to the complicated situation involving him, Sabrina Carpenter, and his ex-girlfriend Camila Cabello. It’s a messy web of relationships, and it looks like Shawn is ready to reflect on how it all unfolded.
Shawn’s Interview: Acknowledging Past Mistakes
The 26-year-old Canadian singer appeared in a teaser clip for an upcoming episode of John Mayer’s SiriusXM show, How’s Life, scheduled to air on Thursday. In the clip, Shawn – who recently admitted he’s still “figuring out” his sexuality – alluded to a past love triangle and expressed regret over how he handled the situation.
“Two days before, I was going out with my ex I said I was going out with my ex because I still had unresolved feelings,” he tells Mayer. Shawn, who has also previously spoken about feeling pressured to be seen with women to prove he wasn’t “gay,” added: “Maybe instead of two days, it could have been two weeks.” He also highlighted his “biggest lesson,” telling Mayer that “no one gets out of life without hurting, and no one gets out of life without being hurt.”
Connecting the Dots
Fans were quick to connect the dots, understanding Shawn’s comments as a direct reference to the rumored love triangle involving the two pop stars. Earlier in 2023, he was rumored to be dating “Espresso” singer Sabrina Carpenter, 25, despite his denial of an actual romance between them. Simultaneously, he was also seen rekindling his relationship with his ex, Camila Cabello, 27.
Hints in Music and Performances
None of the three explicitly mentioned a love triangle, although many fans believe Sabrina alluded to it in her song “Taste.” In the song, which she also performed before Camila and Shawn at the 2024 MTV VMAs, she sings: “I heard you got back with her and if that’s true / Imma have to taste you when he kisses you / If you want forever, bet I will too / Just know that I’m gonna taste you too.”
The lyrics continue, “Every time I close my eyes / And feel his lips, I’m feeling yours / And every time I breathe his air / Just know that I’ve been there before.” These lyrics certainly seem to point towards a complicated situation with another woman.
Additionally, in September 2024, Cabello sparked speculation that she was mocking Carpenter during a performance of her and Mendes’ hit song “Señorita” at the iHeartRadio Music Festival. “You say we’re just friends,” she sang, before stopping short of the lyric “taste,” and instead putting a finger to her lips with a knowing look.
Musical Subtleties and Call-Outs
While Camila didn’t mention Shawn or Sabrina in her album C, XOXO, she did pen several songs about him – and Sabrina is also potentially referenced in the track “June Gloom.”
In the song, Camila sings about their on-again, off-again relationship: “Will this ever end? / Guess I’ll just play pretend and find out.” She also seemingly alludes to Sabrina with the lyrics, “She’s so cool, I heard / Wouldn’t be surprised when I saw those pics,” before asking a very suggestive question. Camila released C, XOXO on June 28, 2024.
Shortly after, Sabrina released her own provocative track, “Taste,” about Camila and Shawn, which featured in her new album Short n’ Sweet on August 23, 2024.
A Rocky Relationship History
Cabello and Mendes were initially in a relationship from 2019 until their split in 2021. They later rekindled their romance in April 2023, after reuniting at Coachella, only to break up again in June of 2023. Shawn was linked to Sabrina from January 2023 to April 2023.
Following their second split, Cabello shared on the Call Her Daddy podcast in March: “You feel like it doesn’t fit, it doesn’t feel right.” She added, “And I think that, luckily, I was at a stage in my life where it took less time for me to realize that. We both took less time to be like, ‘This doesn’t feel right and we don’t need to try so hard to make it work. It’s okay.’”
She added, “I will always care about him and love him. He’s a good person, and I’m lucky because some people have exes that are terrible and he’s not. He’s a really kind person.”
Current Relationship Statuses
As of now, Shawn, Camila, and Sabrina all appear to be single. Sabrina recently split with Irish actor Barry Keoghan, amidst rumors that he cheated on her with OnlyFans star Breckie Hill. Meanwhile, Camila and businessman Austin Kevitch ended their relationship earlier in 2024 after dating for around eight months.
Shawn, who is also single, recently opened up about his sexuality at a concert in Colorado at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in October. He shared that “There’s something about my sexuality, and people have been talking about it for a really long time,” and said that “it’s silly, because I think sexuality is a beautiful, complex thing, and it’s hard to box it into something.”
“The truth about my life and sexuality is, I’m just figuring it out like everyone else,” he added. “It always felt like an invasion to something that is just so personal to me. Something I’m still figuring out, and still haven’t fully uncovered. And it’s really scary because we live in a society that has so much to say about that. And I’m trying to be really brave and just allow myself to be human and feel things. And that’s all I really want to say about it right now.”
He previously discussed speculation about his sexuality in a 2018 Rolling Stone interview.
“I thought, ‘You guys are so lucky that I’m not gay and also so afraid of being gay,’” he said at the time. “That’s what kills people. That’s how sensitive it is. Like, do you like the songs? Do you like me? Who cares if I’m gay?”
He also touched on feeling pressured to be seen with women to prove he was “not gay.”
“In the back of my heart, 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. Even though in my heart I know that that’s not a bad thing. There’s still a part of me that thinks that. And I hate that side of me.”
He also had a rumored relationship with his osteopath, Dr. Jocelyne Miranda, 52, last year. Shawn was also rumored to be dating Charlie Travers of Big Brother UK in 2023.
