Shawn Mendes Admits He Likes Weed and His Fans Are Freaking Out

It’s pretty unclear whether Shawn Mendes is a musician or teen heartthrob first, but a recent interview with the pop star confirmed that he has a massive dedicated fanbase — and they’re seriously concerned about his well-being.

The recent cover story–titled Confessions of a Neurotic Teen Idol—dug into the 20-year-old’s life, which revealed the more mature side of the singer that his younger fanbase was previously unfamiliar with.

In the interview, Mendes shared his love for cannabis and his interest in trying psychedelic mushrooms following a trip he took in Amsterdam with a few of his friends.

“I love weed,” Mendes admitted to Rolling Stone with caution, “I wouldn’t tweet that — not yet, at least — but it’s really good for me. When I’m home, I’ll smoke and then play guitar for seven hours.”

He also admitted that he was intrigued by the idea of trying mushrooms while visiting Holland, but ultimately decided against the decision.

“I want to so badly,” he said, “I think it would help me a lot.”

After the article published, Mendes posted to his Instagram that he wasn’t pleased with how it turned out, hinting that there is so much more to him that the insecurities predominantly highlighted in the interview. 

The situation was only exacerbated by the reaction of his die-hard fans, many of whom took to Twitter to reach out to Mendes with their unease, concern, and disappointment, particularly regarding the singer’s affinity for weed.

One of the tweets reveals a fan’s reluctance to believe his admission: 

Another tweet addressing Mendes’ cannabis use was much more severe:

And, finally, another fan pleaded with the singer to clarify, suspecting that the interview was fake:

On the other side of the scenario, other Twitter-users decided to point out the absurdity of the situation:

Despite Shawn Mendes hailing from Toronto and being of legal age to consume cannabis, the backlash proved inevitable, as most of Mendes’ fanbase tends to be a bit younger.

Though the tweets seem pretty funny from an outsider’s point of view, it’s another pressure Mendes faces.

In addition to worldwide fame, he mentioned in the interview that he deals with constant harassment about his sexual orientation, in addition to seeing his former love interest, Hailey Baldwin, tie the knot with Justin Bieber last month.