I truly never imagined that the lengthy Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello lore would be relevant in 2024, but here we are… thanks to Sabrina Carpenter. In case you live under a rock and missed it, Sabrina recently released her new album, Short n’ Sweet, and she seems to address Shawn and Camila in several of the songs.
Shawn and Camila have been close since 2014, and they dated from 2019 to 2021, and then again for a few months in 2023. Before they rekindled their relationship, Shawn reportedly dated Sabrina in early 2023. Now, Sabrina, Shawn, and Camila are all performing songs ~allegedly about each other~ at the September 11 VMAs, because pop culture is so back. We love to see that 2013-level chaos.
As dedicated students of pop culture, it’s time to refresh our memories and review Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello’s complete relationship timeline. (This timeline could go on for six novels — I chose the important moments.)
Shawn Mendes And Camila Cabello Relationship Timeline
2014: Shawn Mendes And Camila Cabello Meet At Austin Mahone’s Tour
Shawn and Camila met as infants (young teens) when they both opened for Austin Mahone, of all people.
November 2015: They Release “I Know What You Did Last Summer”
My 15-year-old self ate this up. Camila’s first-ever song outside of Fifth Harmony was this random but catchy collab with Shawn. They wrote the song while backstage at a Taylor Swift concert (classic), and the lyrics detail infidelity in a relationship. Definitely something neither of them had any experience with that point.
November 2015: They Deny Dating Rumors
The kiddos gave their publicists full-on panic attacks during their interview on The Late Late Show. When host James Corden asked if they were dating, Shawn and Camila both quickly replied, “No,” in unison. “Every time I make a move, she just swerves me off,” Shawn joked (?). Camila exclaimed, “He friend-zones me, he calls me kid!” It’s extremely obvious from this video that they were already in love back then, but the denial is endearing.
May 2018: Shawn Calls Camila His “Favorite Person In The Whole World”
During a chat with Zane Lowe to promote his self-titled album, Shawn gushed about Camila. “Oh my God, she is my favorite person in the whole world,” he said. “I don’t think you’ll ever meet somebody who can feel emotion like her, in all aspects. Her love for what she believed in was so powerful that it just kind of pushed me to like make an entire album out of inspiration of the one night.” So platonic.
June 2019: They Release “Señorita”
For those of us who’d been following this flirty friendship for five years, this was insane. In the sultry duet, Camila sings: “You say we’re just friends / But friends don’t know the way you taste / ‘Cause you know it’s been a long time coming / Don’t you let me fall.” It was basically an unofficial relationship announcement.
July 2019: Shawn And Camila finally start dating
At long last, they officially turned the friendship into a relationship and were spotted holding hands in West Hollywood and partying together for the 4th of July. Later that month, Shawn and Camila were also seen making at a cafe in San Francisco.
August 2019: They Give A Steamy Performance Of “Señorita” At The VMAs
The most iconic hard launch in history, perhaps? Shawn and Camila delivered a super sensual performance of “Senõrita,” complete with intense eye contact, Camila dancing on Shawn, and multiple almost-kisses. Lives were changed.
October 2020: Shawn Reveals All His Songs Are About Camila
Shawn shared a glimpse into his relationship with Camila in his Netflix documentary, Wonder. Shockingly, (this is sarcasm), she is his only muse. The “Stitches” singer says in the doc: “My song comes on the radio or something and I’m like, ‘Everything’s about you. They’re all … They have always been about you.” Camila was apparently surprised. “She goes, ‘What do you mean?'” Shawn recalled, and he replied to her, “They’re all about you. Like every song I’ve ever wrote.”
Where is my Shawn Mendes.
November 2020: They Adopt Their Covid Puppy, Tarzan
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You can follow Tarzan, one of my favorite influencers, on Instagram at @tarzandadog. Back when Camila and Shawn thought they were getting married, they adopted the Golden Retriever together and introduced him to the world with super cute pics and videos on Instagram.
August 2021: Shawn Says He And Camila Get Into “The Worst Little Arguments”
Shawn low-key foreshadowed Breakup #1 during an interview on SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash Up. “We get in, like, the worst little arguments, but, like, I think that we definitely are pretty good at picking up on when it’s just ego talking,” he said. “And we usually call each other out… I think the longer the relationship goes, the easier it seems to be to fight. So, yeah, it’s definitely not that, holding hands all the time, but we’re really good with each other.”
September 2021: They Attend The Met Gala Together And “It’s Giving Cher”
We all remember where we were when that video of Shawn and Camila getting ready for the Met Gala came out. “It’s giving Cher” will never not be iconic — thank you, Shawn.
November 2021: Shawn And Camila Announce Their Split
Sadly, it stopped giving Cher shortly after that. Shawn and Camila announced their split a few months later with a joint statement on their Insta Stories. “Hey guys, we’ve decide to end our romantic relationship but our love for one another as human is stronger than ever ❤️,” they wrote at the time. “We started our relationship as best friends and will continue to be best friends.”
April 2023: They Reunite At Coachella
Spoiler alert: They did not remain best friends forever. A year and a half later, they had a PDA-filled Coachella reunion and rekindled their romance for a few months.
June 2023: Shawn And Camila Break Up Again
But alas, they realized they broke up for a reason the first time and parted ways again. There was no Insta Story announcement from Shawn or Camila this time around, but a source told People that the “timing was wrong.” According to the insider, “Shawn is still growing and discovering himself. He needs time to himself to do what makes him happy,” the insider said. “He has a lot more living and learning in his future.”
March 2024: Camila Opens Up About Their Split On Call Her Daddy
Camila spilled the breakup tea on Call Her Daddy, naturally. “You’re just kind of like, it’s not a fit, it doesn’t feel right,” she said. “And I think, luckily, I was in a place in my life where it took me less time to realize that. It took us both less time to be like, ‘This doesn’t feel right and we don’t need to try so hard to make it work.’”
She added, “I will always care about him and love him. He’s such a good person and I’m lucky because some people have exes that are awful, and he is not. He’s a really kind, good person.”
July 2024: Camila And Shawn Hang Out At a Miami Soccer Game
Fans wondered if Camila and Shawn were gonna try dating a third time when they were spotted together at the Copa América final between Argentina and Colombia. But according to a People source, “They were there coincidentally. She actually took her dad as her date.” Ah yes, Shawn was just coincidentally at a major event in Miami, Camila’s hometown and the city that inspired her new album. I’m sure he had no idea she would be there.
