Welcome to High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: The Love Triangle.
Buckle up, folks, because we're in for a wild ride at East High. It seems that drama class is in session—and by that we mean tensions could be mounting between two young stars of the Disney+ High School Musical spinoff show.
Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett, who play on-screen lovers Nini and Ricky, have sparked real-life dating rumors in the past, though fans speculated they split last year because Rodrigo mentioned a "failed relationship" on TikTok in August.
Now, the co-stars appear to be in a love triangle with singer Sabrina Carpenter. Here's what happened.
It all kicked off when Rodrigo, 17, released her new song "drivers license" on Friday, Jan. 8. The lyrics clearly refer to a breakup, as she sings, "'Cause you said forever, now I drive alone past your street." When Rodrigo says, "Guess you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about me," fans assumed she was talking about Bassett.
That's because he released multiple songs about lost love in 2020. In April, Bassett dropped "Common Sense," about wanting a second chance after a split. According to the lyrics, "Common sense says the girl's not worth my time/ But common sense ain't common when you come to mind."
His track "Anyone Else," which came out in July, hints that an ex-girlfriend has moved on with another guy. The 20-year-old star sings, "Is he the guy you want to hold ya/ I'll be here when you need me to," and later croons, "I am done pretending I want anyone else."
Okay, so if one of his songs is about Rodrigo, then her new song could be about Bassett. Check.
So how does Carpenter come into this?
Well, she and Bassett recently shared videos of each other on their TikTok accounts. The Nov. 1 clips show them in costumes while creating a spoof "audition tape" for Sharkboy and Lavagirl, which proved they've been hanging out during quarantine together. Check.
Cut back to "drivers license," in which Rodrigo throws shade at a blonde girl that has entered the picture. "And you're probably with that blonde girl/ Who always made me doubt/ She's so much older than me/ She's everything I'm insecure about," Rodrigo sings in her debut single.
We know what you're thinking: Yes, Carpenter is blonde and she's also 21 years old, making her four years older than the HSMTMTS actress. Check.
Fans on Twitter noted that older lyrics referred to a "brunette girl" but claimed the singer made a "power move" and changed it to "blonde."
So that's why E! News reached out to their reps for comment on the rumors. We haven't heard back.
However, the plot thickens. Right after Rodrigo announced her first single was coming, Bassett said he's releasing new music on Jan. 14. The real twist is that it's called "Lie Lie Lie," which means it has to be juicy, right?
It also appears the cast of HSMTMTS subtly weighed in on the relationship drama this week. As Vulture points out, castmates Julia Lester, Joe Serafini, Sofia Wylie, Larry Saperstein and Dara Reneé commented on Rodrigo's Instagram announcement to support her, but only Serafini replied to Bassett's post.
Although, that could be because "drivers license" is Rodrigo's first song, whereas Bassett has already put out some music.
In fact, on Dec. 22, he dropped the live version of his new song "Heaven is You," which totally implies the speaker is fully in love. The lyrics reveal, "Oh, I always heard there was a heaven/ I never knew if it was true/ But darlin', ever since I met you/ I know that heaven is you." The million-dollar question: Is he talking about Carpenter?