Joshua Bassett Quotes on Olivia Rodrigo 'Drivers License' Drama

He’s setting the record straight! Joshua Bassett has spoken out multiple times and addressed the rumors surrounding Olivia Rodrigo and her January 2021 hit single “Drivers License.”

After the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series actress dropped her debut single, fans started to speculate that the song was about Joshua, her rumored ex-boyfriend and costar. Although their relationship has never been confirmed, HSMTMTS viewers were convinced the pair was more than just friends after the series premiered in November 2019.

“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,” Olivia told Billboard in January 2021, addressing the drama surrounding the tune. “It’s resonating with people because of how emotional it is, and I think everything else is not important.”

As the theory goes, Olivia wrote “Drivers License” after Joshua moved on with his new rumored girlfriend, Sabrina Carpenter. According to fans, the Bizaardvark alum hinted at the former Girl Meets World star with her song lyrics. Both Olivia and Sabrina have addressed the track’s apparent meaning in various interviews, while Joshua stayed quiet. After the release of his self-titled debut EP in March 2021, the actor spoke out.

“It’s interesting just to watch people make assumptions, and I understand why they would, but not everything is something to be read into, and I think that sometimes you just have to let the art be and not inject yourself into something you don’t know anything about,” he told Elite Daily in a March 2021 interview, noting that the ongoing drama is “interesting.”

“A lot of times people will get angry in the moment, they’ll lash out and do something, and later they’re like, ‘Oh, I didn’t really mean that.’ The difference with art is that it lasts longer,” Joshua continued. “A lot of times people will make stories out of songs that maybe they meant for just a moment and someone was able to capture it in a song. It doesn’t mean it’s a forever feeling.”

Joshua further fielded questions about “Drivers License” during a separate interview with ET Canada and made it clear that “there’s no response to be made” to the song. “Whatever the song is to her is her thing to tell, so I’ll let her do that,” the Disney+ star said about his costar. “But I would say I hope people don’t forget the value that her and Sabrina bring to the world outside of the drama. And I hope people will look at the depth of who they are instead of just the surface-level gossip.”

Scroll through our gallery to see everything Joshua has said about the rumored “Drivers License” drama.

Love J-14? Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for fun, exclusive videos with your favorite stars.

TikTok Filter

Joshua used a filter on TikTok to predict the first letter of the love of his life on October 11, 2022. “First letter is the love of my life,” he said and then received an ‘O.’ He pressed the filter again to reshuffle the letters and received a ‘Q.’
He added, “OK, ‘Q’ I’ll take it!”
Could ‘O’ be in reference to Olivia?! We see you, J!

His Truth

“It is a wonderful song!” Joshua told Bustle about “Drivers License” in March 2021. “I know the reality and the truth of my life, so that stuff doesn’t bother me. These people don’t really know what they’re talking about, so I just keep my head up and do my own thing. But you can’t stop people from talking, especially during a global pandemic when nobody has anything to do but [live] vicariously through us.”

Laughing It Off

“It’s funny for me to see people speculate or make theories about things,” he told Entertainment Tonight in March 2021. “I don’t see a lot of it, but what I see, I’m like, ‘Where are you getting this from?’ It’s so funny how people piece it together. But I get it. We’re all in quarantine. Everybody’s got nothing to do, so everyone’s trying to make more meaning out of something than there is.”

He continued, “Olivia’s amazing. We were filming the [next HSMTMTS] season throughout everything going on, and all is well. And we finished strong, and it was really great.”

No Hard Feelings

“I get why people are asking about that stuff — but it doesn’t really get to me,” Joshua told Buzzfeed ahead of his EP release. “It’s kind of amusing at this point. Even like the SNL stuff, that’s hilarious to me. People were so worried about me — and I’m like, dude, I’m honored that SNL is making fun of me! I’m also just proud of her and the success that her song is having. I really couldn’t be mad at the situation.”

Addressing the Rumors

During an interview with GQ in June 2021, Joshua made it clear that “people don’t know what they’re talking about” and said he’s been “biting my tongue, in a lot of ways” about the speculation.

“The reality is, it’s kind of like a lost cause trying to talk about any of that stuff, and I refuse to feed into any of the bulls–t, so I just don’t,” he added. “Why don’t we focus on these women for who they are? Let’s focus on the art that they’re making and how great they are instead of their relationship to a boy.”

Crafting a Response

“The hardest thing in this last year has just been biting my tongue, and sort of trying to protect the people that I love,” he said during a December 2021 interview on The Zach Sang Show. “I cannot explain my side of the truth, or defend myself without having to expose other people. Without having to then be like, ‘Well, this is actually what happened and here’s why.’ So, that’s was what was tough, is like, I don’t want to do the same thing that’s being done to me, that’s not my goal, I’m not trying to tit-for-tat.”