You probably feel déjà vu hearing about Joshua Bassett, Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter. Well, so does Joshua when it comes to those love-triangle rumors.
The High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star opened up about the buzzworthy matter in a recent interview with GQ. Although the actor doesn't go into great detail surrounding the subject that every twentysomething (and, let's be real, quite a few thirtysomethings) are discussing, he did share that "people don't know what they're talking about."
The 20-year-old actor also added that he feels like the "hardest thing" he's had to do has been to "bite his tongue."
However, he continued, "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."
Joshua also encouraged fans to focus on the talent of the two stars rather than the possibility of their love lives. "[Everyone] is asking me about Sabrina and Olivia," he said. "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."
Rumors of a love triangle between the three musicians were first sparked when Joshua's HSMTMTS 18-year-old co-star Olivia released her now-massive hit, "drivers license." The two were already rumored to be dating off-screen, but after Olivia mentioned a "failed relationship" in a TikTok video last August, fans speculated that the two may have broken up. A week after Olivia's song was released, Joshua also released his single "Lie Lie Lie"—all about false narratives—and although he later clarified it was written a few months prior, it only added fuel to the quickly growing fire.
So, how does Sabrina fit into this tangled timeline? Back in November, she and Joshua posted videos on TikTok in Sharkboy and Lavagirl costumes, leading some fans to believe they spent time together during quarantine. Additionally, Sabrina's single "Skin" contained lyrics that some believe were alluding to Olivia's mention of a "blonde" in her smash single.
All caught up? Great. In the interview, Joshua also explained that his sexuality is another aspect of himself that he is "still figuring out how to articulate out loud." In May, the Disney star spoke glowingly of Harry Styles in an interview with Clevver News, adding it was his "coming out video." At the time, fans couldn't tell how serious the remark was, but now the actor clarified that he "wasn't joking."
As he put it to GQ, "I stood behind every word that I said. Even if there are consequences, I would much rather deal with consequences and live my truth than live in fear."