Those Sabrina Carpenter, Camila Cabello, and Shawn Mendes Fan Theories, Explained

If you thought Sabrina Carpenter fans would dig through her new album, Short n’ Sweet, for references to Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett, you’re focused on the wrong alleged love triangle, babes. It’s like Carpenter sang on her 2022 album Emails I Can’t Send: “When everything went down, we’d already broken up.” Old news!

Instead, listeners say Short n’ Sweet is full of references to Carpenter’s alleged fling with “Stitches” singer Shawn Mendes in 2023—it reportedly occurred shortly before Mendes was spotted kissing ex-girlfriend Camila Cabello at Coachella that April. Can you believe that was only 16 months ago? It feels like a lifetime.

Anyway, here’s everything we know about the Sabrina Carpenter, Shawn Mendes, and Camila Cabello rumors and conspiracy theories.

The (condensed) timelineJuly 4, 2019: Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello officially start dating less than a month after releasing their steamy duet, “Señorita.”

November 17, 2021: After more than two years of blatant PDA, the pair announce their breakup with a joint statement. “Hey guys, we’ve decided to end our romantic relationship, but our love for one another as humans is stronger than ever,” they said, per E! News. “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.”

February 19, 2023: An anonymous Deux Moi post kicks off Sabrina Carpenter and Shawn Mendes dating rumors.

February–March 2023: From that point on, Carpenter and Mendes are spotted together on multiple occasions until an Entertainment Tonight source confirms the relationship on March 13. “Shawn and Sabrina are seeing each other,” the insider said at the time. “They have been hanging out a lot and trying to keep things low-key. They were at a birthday party together a couple weeks ago and were cute together. Shawn is happy.”

March 17, 2023: Alas, Shawn Mendes reportedly tells RTL Boulevard that he and Carpenter “are not dating.”

April 14, 2023: Cabello and Mendes kiss at Coachella!

April 17, 2023: A source said the pair have not rekindled their romance. “Shawn and Camila remain friends with a lot of love and history between them, but they aren’t dating again,” the source tells Page Six. “They’ve stayed in touch since their breakup and decided to meet up at Coachella since they were both going.” The source goes on to describe the kiss as a “one-off,” adding that “one thing led to another as the night progressed.”

April–June 2023: But wait! They’re spotted holding hands in Venice, California! Then NYC! And even rocking matching gym ’fits!

June 14, 2023: One day after confirming Mendes and Cabello were “dating again,” People reports another split. According to the publication, the pair reunited for two months before realizing the “timing was wrong.”

November 17, 2023: Carpenter releases her Christmas LP, Fruitcake. According to fan theories, “Cindy Lou Who” references that Coachella kiss between Cabello and Mendes. More on that later.

March 6, 2024: Cabello confirms they tried again during an appearance on Call Her Daddy, saying, “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. It’s all good.’”

March 11, 2024: Carpenter hard-launches her relationship with Barry Keoghan three months after dating rumors sparked in December 2023.

June 28, 2024: Cabello releases her fourth album, C, XOXO. Some fans think “June Gloom” tells her side of the alleged love triangle.

July 14, 2024: Cabello and Mendes are spotted sitting together at the Copa America Final in Miami.…

The songsDespite the lack of overtly shady overlap in their alleged dating timelines, fans think a series of Carpenter’s songs reveals some mixed signals. Prior to the release of Short n’ Sweet in 2024, Carpenter fans believed she referenced Mendes and Cabello in the song “Cindy Lou Who” from her 2023 Christmas EP, Fruitcake.

“Maybe he met you somewhere in the desert / While he was soul-searchin’, he found someone better,” Carpenter croons. She also included a line about the subject’s “hair so long, lips so red,” which fans tied back to Cabello’s Coachella beauty look, per Just Jared.

And if “Cindy Lou Who” references Cabello, fans think the former Fifth Harmony member shared her own thought on her 2024 album C, XOXO. “If she’s so amazing, why are you on this side of town?” Cabello sings in one “June Gloom” lyric fans have fixated on. “If you like her so much, what are you here trying to find out?”

Short n’ SweetOn August 23, Carpenter released the album Short n’ Sweet, which fans think includes multiple references to Mendes and Cabello. The lyrics getting the most attention, however, are from the track “Coincidence.”

“Last week, you didn’t have any doubts / This week, you’re holding space for her tongue in your mouth,” Carpenter sings. “Now shе’s sendin’ you some pictures wеarin’ less and less / Tryna turn the past into the present tense, huh / Suckin’ up to all of your mutual friends.”

Later in the song, fans believe Carpenter once again referenced Coachella while adding a more pointed reference to Mendes’s on-again-off-again relationship. “Your car drove itself from LA to her thighs / Palm Springs looks nice, but who’s by your side?” Carpenter sings. “She looks kinda like the girl you outgrew / Least that’s what you said.”

“So, is that what Shawn had said to Sabrina?” TikTok user @sussan_mourad asked in their video breaking down all of the song’s alleged connections to Cabello and Mendes. And just when Mourad thought the lyrics couldn’t get any more obvious, she says Sabrina ended it with the “mic drop” line, “Oh, wow, you just broke up again / What a coincidence.”

Meanwhile, many fans think Jenna Ortega is meant to represent Cabello in the murderous “Taste” music video. While the video’s concept is clearly one big homage to Death Becomes Her, you must admit the “beloved boyfriend” bares a striking resemblance to Mendes.…

In case you’re wondering, this is the chorus of “Taste”:

I heard you’re back together and if that’s true
You’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissin’ you
If you want forever, I bet you do
Just know you’ll taste me too

Very interesting!

This post may be updated.