Shawn Mendes took a lie detector test for Vanity Fair, and his candid opinion of Taylor Swift’s longtime boyfriend Joe Alwyn was truly unexpected—and a little awkward, given that the video was just released publicly. Mendes was asked about his relationship with Swift at the seven-minute mark and how often they text to start. “Yeah, I always am asking her for advice on music,” he said. “Maybe a month ago [is the last time I texted her], so whatever that counts for as still texting.”
That was honest. Then the interviewer asked Mendes about Alwyn: “Do you approve of Taylor’s current boyfriend Joe Alwyn?” He was given a photo of Alwyn to look at.
“I’ve never personally met Joe, but he looks like a sweet guy,” Mendes answered.
The lie detector test operator immediately objected: “You’re not telling the truth. You’re being deceptive.”
Mendes owned up to it: “I’m lying a little bit?” he asked. “Yeah, I mean, he’s [Alwyn] kind of got a little bit of a villain look about him. I mean, he looks like a nice guy but, like, he at any movement could turn into a villain, you know? But he’s got really blue eyes, and I struggle with eyes that blue, you know? Like, I find it easier to trust brown eyes.” He paused, then admitted that he “talked way too much about him.” Neither Swift nor Alwyn have commented on the clip yet, but should they ever double date with Mendes and his girlfriend Camila Cabello, they definitely have a good icebreaker.
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Shawn Mendes Takes a Lie Detector Test | Vanity Fair
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Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she's not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
- Shawn Mendes recently took a lie detector test in a video for Vanity Fair.
- The "Wonder" singer said he thinks Taylor Swift's boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, has a "villain look."
- "He's got really blue eyes and I struggle with eyes that blue. I find it easier to trust brown eyes."
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Shawn Mendes recently opened up about his friendship with Taylor Swift — and his suspicious impression of her boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, whom he's never met.
While taking a lie detector test in a new video for Vanity Fair, Mendes was asked whether he still keeps in touch with his early mentor. The "Stitches" crooner was one of the opening acts for Swift's "1989" tour in 2014. He also made a cameo during the Pasadena stop on her 2018 "Reputation" tour.
"I always am asking her for advice on music," Mendes said, adding that he last texted Swift "maybe a month ago."
He was then asked whether he "approves" of Swift's longtime boyfriend, whom she apparently began dating in 2016.
"I've never personally met Joe, but he looks like a sweet guy," Mendes said.
When the polygraph examiner told Mendes he was being "deceptive," the singer immediately changed course.
"I'm lying? A little bit? Yeah, I mean, he's kind of got a little bit of a villain look about him," Mendes said, holding up a photo of Alwyn. "I mean, he looks like a nice guy — but he, at any movement, could turn into a villain."
"He's got really blue eyes and I struggle with eyes that blue," he added. "I find it easier to trust brown eyes."
Mendes did not elaborate on his suspicion of Alwyn, but did say he felt he'd "talked way too much about him."
Earlier in the video, Mendes told the interviewer that he's "pretty bad at lying" — although he admitted to lying in the past, including to his girlfriend, Camila Cabello.
Cabello is also friends with Swift and served as one of her opening acts for the "Reputation" tour. Cabello even performed "Shake It Off" alongside Swift and Halsey at the 2019 American Music Awards, where Swift was honored as artist of the decade.