Sean Mendes got it wrong when Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Sam Smith at the iHeart Radio Jingle Ball on Thursday gave a heartfelt apology.
Mendes inadvertently mistook Smith, calling the singer “he” instead of “them” during an introduction to the show.
Fans called out Mendes, 22, of his mistake, pointing out Smith’s favorite pronouns Listed on their social media bio.
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“I understand that Sean may not have known that Sam Smith’s pronouns are / them but why has no one corrected them ?? Was this not pictured beforehand ???” One commenter tweeted.
“Did Sean fix Sam Smith’s race four times in a row? Really?” Another asked.
On Friday, Mendes took to his Instagram stories to apologize for the misstep.
The Wonder singer wrote, “Ohsamsmith, I’m so sorry I’m referring to you as“ he ”for the ball’s premise.“ It totally left my mind. Never going again..send you so much love! Also, you are definitely one of the funniest people you’ve ever met! ”
In March 2019, Smith, 28, told actress and activist Jamila Jamil, “I’m not a male or female. I think I float somewhere in between.” Then, in September 2019, Smith It came out as non-binary On Instagram, for telling fans and followers their pronouns are “they / they”.
“Today is a good day so here it goes.” Smith wrote in a post on Instagram in time. I have decided to change my pronouns to “them / they a” After a period of war with my gender, I decided to embrace myself for who I am, inside and out.
The “Diamonds” singer has been open about her struggles with gender issues and Body acceptance. They continued, saying that although they were concerned about the release of the announcement, they were “fortunate to be surrounded by people who support me in this decision.”
Smith also expected people to make mistakes when they adjust to his decision but have one request of others.
“I understand there will be a lot of bugs and bad kind but all I ask is please try please. Hope you can see me as I see myself now. Thank you.”
Not surprisingly then, Smith responded kindly to Mendes’ apology.
“We are all learning together,” Smith posted to their Instagram Stories with two heart emoji icons.
And they added, “Happy Holidays, all my love xx.”
Smith’s third studio album, “Love Goes,” was released on October 30 Twitter In March, they decided to change the name of their album from “To Die For” considering it might be insensitive during Coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, Mendes has been busy, too. Released “Christmas Song” with girlfriend and collaborator Camila Cabello, just in time for the vacation. The couple is also the parents of their new pet Sweet puppy named Tarzan.
Mendes’ fourth album “Wonder” was released last week.
correction (December 12, 2020, 2:50 pm): An earlier version of this article misrepresented Smith’s pronoun. It is “them”, not “it.”
