Clay Aiken Has an Urgent Question About Shawn Mendes' Sexuality: 'I Shouldn't Out Him'

Clay Aiken blurted out a question about Shawn Mendes' sexuality during an interview this week while promoting the 2003 American Idol runner-up's forthcoming Christmas album.

And the urgency of Aiken's query — with the Idol alum suddenly randomly asking in the middle of a response if Mendes had come out as gay — marked a sharp turn in the otherwise holiday music-themed conversation. "I shouldn't out him," Aiken demurred.

But wait — did Mendes come out? The "Stitches" hitmaker has long been the target of rumors about his sexuality, so much so that he even addressed them during a concert in Colorado last month, with the Canadian singer telling the audience, "There's this thing about my sexuality, and people have been talking about it so long."

He said it was "kind of silly, because I think sexuality is such a beautifully complex thing, and it's so hard to just put into boxes."

So what does Aiken know about it? Well, the American Idol star seemed to reference the viral footage of Mendes' onstage spiel when, as he was being asked by Variety on Wednesday (Nov 13) if he was prepared to talk about Christmas for the next two months, the singer veered into wondering if Mendes had come out — before just as abruptly playing coy about the matter.

"I love Christmas, but it does start earlier and earlier," Aiken said. "I haven't put out an album in so long that doing press in general is new. By the way, did Shawn Mendes come out today? Have you seen this video on his Instagram? I didn't finish watching it because I looked at the time and I was like, 'Oh God, I gotta get on the computer.' So I don't know if he really did. I shouldn't out him if he didn't."

Besides the fan-captured video from Mendes' Colorado gig, what else Aiken could mean is anyone's guess. There doesn't currently appear to be a video on Mendes' own Instagram about it. However, he does sometimes re-share concert clips on Instagram that others have posted of him.

Mendes has refuted gay rumors in the past, responding on a podcast in 2020, "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," he shared.

Aiken, who came in second in the finals to Ruben Studdard on American Idol Season 2, will release the holiday album Christmas Bells Are Ringing on Nov. 22.

--Originally appeared on 'Music Times.'

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