Shawn Mendes Opens Up About Having To Defend His Sexuality

Shawn Mendes opened up about dealing with rumors concerning his sexual orientation.

The “Wonder” singer, who has repeatedly denied rumors that he is gay several times in the past, got real about the challenges of addressing his sexuality.

“It was so, so frustrating for me because there were some people in my life that I was very very close to, who were gay and in the closet,” the superstar explained on Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard. “And I felt like this real anger for those people. It’s such a tricky thing.”

Mendes explained, “You want to say, ‘I’m not gay but it’d be fine if I was gay — but also there’s nothing wrong with being gay but I’m not.’ You don’t really know how to respond to the situation.”

The 22-year-old, who revealed people “have been calling me gay since I was 15,” added that he’s learning to no longer be afraid of saying the wrong things when defending his sexuality.

“I’ve realized that we just have to stop having to be experts and politicians about it, especially as a famous musician who’s a guy. I need to be really f—ing messy and say the wrong things and apologize and say the right thing after I apologize and be confused about how to respond when people say I’m gay,” he explained. “Everyone’s been calling me gay since I was 15 years old. I’m not gay and I’m like, ‘What does that mean?’”

Mendes also recalled feeling somewhat sensitive about the sound of his voice or how he carried himself in ways some might consider “feminine."

“I really suffered with that s–t," he admitted. “I think a lot of guys go through that and even worse than that there are just so many guys who are gay and in the closet and must be hearing s—t like that and just being like, ‘I’m terrified to come out.' I didn’t grow up wrestling. I grew up getting my hair braided on New Year’s Eve. It just completely depends on the way you grew up in your life and your surroundings."

Photo: Getty Images