Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello have finally called it quits on their two-year relationship, and after Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid’s split last month, Twitter no longer believes in love.
The announcement came in the form of an Instagram story post from both of them with white text on a black screen dotted with a few red hearts.
“Hey guys, we’ve decided to end our romantic relationship but our love for one another as humans is stronger than ever,” the post read. “We started our relationship as best friends and will continue to be best friends. We so appreciate your support from the beginning and moving forward.”
The message was signed “Camila and Shawn.”
The pair shared a dog, Tarzan, who Camila has appeared to take custody of after their breakup.
The pair were well-known to be best friends prior to their relationship, first meeting in July 2014 as opening acts for an Austin Mahone tour, with Mendes performing solo and Cabello as a member of her former band, Fifth Harmony. In 2015, they collaborated on their first song, “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” sparking dating rumors at the time that would be disputed by the pair for the next four years.
When Mendes and Cabello first officially started dating in July 2019, their duet “Senorita” was the song of the summer. The pair immediately faced criticism as people disapproved of their frequent PDA, even eliciting a response from the couple in which they poked fun at Twitter responses mocking the way they kissed.
Cameron Gatton, a junior studying ITS, said their duet was the most notable thing about the couple for him.
“I didn't know much about the relationship other than the song ‘Senorita,’” Gatton said “I love their relationship which they built in the song; I love sappy stuff like that. I think it's definitely terrible that they broke up, but I'm wondering what the reasoning behind it is.”
The couple has not spoken publicly about their split since the initial post, but intense speculation has emerged, including comments on Mendes’ sexuality. In a 2020 interview between Mendes and Dax Shepard on his Armchair Expert Podcast, Mendes explained frustration in having to address the rumors, which have circulated long before his recent breakup.
"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," Mendes said. "And I felt this real anger for those people. It's such a tricky thing. 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."
Emily Kellogg, a freshman studying marketing, said she loves Mendes, and his recent split with his fellow singer has been a subject of conversation for her.
“I also feel like it's kind of inevitable,” Kellogg said. “They were best friends before, so now it's like it was supposed to happen. But I also think he's kind of bi (-sexual) in some way, so I feel like it was supposed to (happen).”
Despite her appreciation for Mendes, Kellogg said she feels badly for Cabello and she doesn’t deserve the hate she’s getting following the split.
“They were good together, I feel bad for her,” Kellogg said. “And people are really coming after her.”
Sierra Karmilowicz, a junior studying communications, said she cared more about their professional relationship than their personal one.
“They make pretty great music together,” Karmilowicz said. “Hopefully, they still have a professional relationship. I think they're really compatible, at least musically. I don't really have much to say about their intimate relationship; it’s sort of their business. I’d rather not really intrude on that.”
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