12 December 2020
Newsdesk
Sam Smith has forgiven pop pal Shawn Mendes for using the wrong pronouns as the Brit was introduced at iHeartRadios Jingle Ball on Thursday night.
The Senorita hitmaker was tasked with introducing Smith during the festive Livestream concert, but fans were quick to note the slip-up as the Canadian artist referenced the Stay with Me singer as "he", instead of the non-binary star's preferred pronouns of "they", "them" and "their".
Taking to his Instagram Story timeline on Friday to express his remorse, Mendes wrote: "Oh @samsmith I'm so sorry for refferring (sic) to you as a 'he' for your jingle ball introduction."
He continued: "It absolutely slipped my mind. Wont happen again... Sending you so much love ! Also you absolutely are one of the funniest people I've ever met (sic)!"
The public apology was warmly received by Smith, who reposted Mendes' message and responded: "We're all learning together. Happy holidays, all my love xx."
Smith came out as gender non-binary in September 2019.
"After a lifetime of being at war with my gender I’ve decided to embrace myself for who I am, inside and out," they wrote at the time, adding:"I’m so excited and privileged to be surrounded by people that support me in this decision but I’ve been very nervous about announcing this because I care too much about what people think but f--- it!"
