Shawn Mendes Defends Himself Over His Controversial Rolling Stone Interview
Shawn Mendes is not thrilled with his latest Rolling Stone cover story, and has taken to Twitter and Instagram to call out the magazine.
The feature titled ‘Confessions of a Neurotic Pop Idol’ has been gaining controversy for some of the statements Mendes made about accusations he was gay. The pop singer posted about the article, saying he wished the magazine focused more on the positive aspects of his life and career.
Of course i have my insecurities and struggles but that’s just one part of me. Sometimes the positive side of a story doesn’t always get fully told and I wish it had here. I love what i do and i love you guys so much ❤️ pic.twitter.com/dmIHCtFc7z
— Shawn Mendes (@ShawnMendes) November 26, 2018
Of course, we don’t know what he means by “the positive side of a story,” but these following quotes from his interview have drawn criticism.
“I’d like to say I don’t care about it, but that’s not true,” he said.
“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 it’s not a bad thing. There’s still a piece of me that thinks that. And I hate that side of me.”
He went on to describe having a panic attack while watching rom-com Love, Simon and regretting letting Taylor Swift put glitter in his face, saying “why did I let her post that? I just fed the fire that I’m terrified of.”
The comments have not sat well with some readers including his LGBTI+ fanbase.
Isn’t this inherently homophobic? Like literally NO ONE thinks you’re gay Shawn Mendes, you don’t have to worry so much. Maybe now you know even more what it’s like to be a gay person in society—always anxious, always fearful of how you ‘look’ to ppl. Why r ppl praising this? https://t.co/ePqvyORBqM
— g (@snixlpz) November 26, 2018
(1/2) People who aren’t gay, don’t need to “prove” anything, @ShawnMendes Quite frankly, the fact that you feel the need to constantly defend your sexuality instead of just letting it go is irritating. I’m sure it makes your gay fans like you a little less too. pic.twitter.com/stpKItEhYS
— Evan (@TheEvanFowler) November 26, 2018
This isn’t the first time Mendes has felt the urge to defend his heterosexuality. In 2017, he did a Snapchat story where he set the record straight (pun intended), saying “I noticed a lot of people were saying I gave them a ‘gay vibe,’” he said. “First of all, I’m not gay. Second of all, it shouldn’t make a difference if I was or wasn’t.”
In the Rolling Stone interview, Mendes confirmed he and Hailey Baldwin were more than just friends before she married Justin Bieber.
He also said that he likes smoking marijuana when working on his music. “I love weed,” he said. “It’s really good for me. When I’m home, I’ll smoke and then play guitar for seven hours.”
Whatever floats your boat, Shawn!
