Olivia Rodrigo, 19, and Joshua Bassett, 21, got a lot of attention when they chatted, smiled, and posed on the red carpet of the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 3 premiere in Los Angeles, CA on July 27. The rumored exes looked great in black outfits as they put their arms around each other for the cameras at one point during the event, which promoted the third season of their show. She wore a black mini dress with cut outs, tights, and platform heels while he wore a silky black blazer over a black top, silky black pants, and matching boots.
Previously, they made headlines for dating and breakup rumors. The singer and actor are believed to have had a romantic relationship before they parted ways and Joshua moved on to dating actress Sabrina Carpenter, therefore inspiring Olivia’s biggest hit song, “drivers license.” The young stars never confirmed the romance and breakup but they haven’t denied it.
Supporters also believe that Joshua’s song “Only a Matter of Time” is a response to Olivia’s “drivers license,” which touched on heartbreak after seeing an ex with a new “blonde” girl, which is presumed to be Sabrina. Some of the lyrics include, “But it’s only a matter of time / An eye for an eye you’ll go blind / When did you stop being kind? / You twisted your words like a knife / Well I’m sure that your hurting inside / But why would you make your pain minе? / You’re making me pay me for your crimеs / Well darling I’ll be fine.”
Despite the alleged drama between Olivia and Joshua, the latter seemed to attempt to prove things are all good between them when he praised her and Sabrina’s new music earlier this year. “been stuck in my head since i heard it!!! congratulations [Sabrina Carpenter] on ‘Skin’, the new label, & all that’s to come!!!” he wrote about Sabrina’s song “Skin” in an Instagram story in Jan.
When talking to Billboard about the meaning behind “drivers license,” Olivia admitted she feels that’s the “least important” part of the song. “I totally understand people’s curiosity with the specifics of who the song’s about and what it’s about, but to me, that’s really the least important part of the song,” she explained. “It’s resonating with people because of how emotional it is, and I think everything else is not important. …To see it do really well — to have this really painful moment in my life, and turn it into something beautiful that can maybe help people through a tough time that they’re having, like I was having a tough time — it’s just so empowering. I feel grateful that I got to do that.”
