Updated on Jan 11, 2021

An Extensive Explainer For Anyone Invested In The Olivia Rodrigo-Joshua Bassett "Drivers License" Drama

Next time I need a mystery solved, I'm calling the Twitter stans.

by Lauren Garafano

BuzzFeed Staff

Geffen Records / youtube.com

The song has dominated the Apple charts and blown up all over social media during the first weekend of its release. Even Taylor Swift loves it.

Geffen Records / youtube.com

The song has dominated the Apple charts and blown up all over social media during the first weekend of its release. Even Taylor Swift loves it.

Joshua's castmate, Joe Serafani, commented with three fire emojis

Breakup rumors between Olivia and Josh first came out during summer 2020, when Olivia posted this video on TikTok, where she says "you think u can hurt my feelings? i wrote this song" as "All I Want" played in the background.

@livbedumb
and that’s on failed relationships
♬ All I Want by Olivia Rodrigo - Alyssa Elness 🦋

She also captioned the video "and that's on failed relationships."

The two also dressed as Sharkboy and Lavagirl for Halloween and shared a few videos acting out scenes from the movie.

@joshuatbassett
dream a dream u little bleep #sharkboyandlavagirl @sabrinacarpenter
♬ Follow me plz - Ma’kaila Janai

This timeline and Olivia's response also suggest that Joshua became close with Sabrina while he and Olivia were still an item. Because neither Olivia nor Joshua ever confirmed the start or end dates of their relationship, fans assume there is some sort of overlap between Joshua's relationship with Olivia and his relationship with Sabrina.

He even went on to praise the song on his IG and Snapchat stories.

@talesofreign
Reply to @destiny_n23 reacting to this comment bc it’s the top one but ethan is such a sweetheart 🥺
♬ original sound - mik <3<>>

Note: Keep in mind, none of this has been confirmed by Olivia Rodrigo or Joshua Bassett, and it's merely speculation from fan theories and social media clues.

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An Extensive Explainer For Anyone Invested In The Olivia Rodrigo-Joshua Bassett "Drivers License" Drama

So, this is Olivia Rodrigo — actor, singer-songwriter, and all-around ray of sunshine.

Her song "Drivers License" officially debuted this weekend, and fans were in LOVE with it.

View this video on YouTube

The song's release has led people to believe that it's actually about her relationship with HSMTMTS costar Joshua Bassett.

Speculation first started on Jan. 4, when Olivia announced the release of her song and a bunch of her castmates commented their praise. About an hour later, Joshua announced the release of his upcoming single "Lie, Lie, Lie," about which only one castmate commented.

Olivia and Joshua, who play love interests on HSMTMTS, were rumored to be dating within the past year, but neither publicly confirmed a romantic relationship.

This wouldn't be totally out of character, though. Back in 2018, Olivia had previously dated Ethan Wacker, one of her Bizaardvark costars, and the two waited six months before publicly announcing their relationship.

Breakup rumors between Olivia and Josh first came out during summer 2020, when Olivia posted this video on TikTok, where she says "you think u can hurt my feelings? i wrote this song" as "All I Want" played in the background.

Soon after, Olivia posted a photo on Instagram with her close friend Iris Apatow, both wearing "Dump Him" shirts.

Around this time, photos of Joshua and Sabrina Carpenter on what looks like a date surfaced, sparking dating rumors between the two of them.

The two also dressed as Sharkboy and Lavagirl for Halloween and shared a few videos acting out scenes from the movie.

Now, let's go back to the song.

In "Drivers License," Olivia sings about a blonde girl who's "much older" than she is...

And Sabrina is both blonde and four years older than Olivia.

Several fans pointed out that in the original version of the song, Olivia's lyrics were about "that brunette" but were changed to "that blonde," further indicating she was writing with someone specific in mind.

Olivia also sings "Guess you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about me," and fans have speculated that Joshua Bassett's 2020 song "Anyone Else" is about Olivia.

However, it seems as if Sabrina appeared in the "Anyone Else" music video.

The "Drivers License" music video also shows a short clip where someone grabs Olivia's chin — this is the same video used on Spotify's selection of "All I Want" where Joshua is the one grabbing her chin.

Additionally, Olivia mentions seeing their face in "white cars."

And from his YouTube channel, we know that Joshua also has a WHITE car.

And probably the most important clue of all, Olivia shared that Joshua was the person who actually taught her to drive in an In-N-Out parking lot back before she even had her permit — which might be why the song is called "Drivers License."

Flash-forward to after the song's release...

Joshua Bassett and a bunch of other HSMTMTS castmates posted about the song on their IG story. Olivia shared a majority of the posts, but not Joshua's.

Also, Sabrina's ex-boyfriend, Griffin Gluck, posted about the song too.

Finally, Olivia's ex Ethan was brought back into the mix when some fans theorized that "Drivers License" was about him, to which he replied, "Nope. I treated her well."

He even went on to praise the song on his IG and Snapchat stories.

And now, you're pretty much all caught up! Do you think the song is about Joshua? Let us know in the comments and be sure to stream "Drivers License."

An Extensive Explainer For Anyone Invested In The Olivia Rodrigo-Joshua Bassett "Drivers License" Drama

So, this is Olivia Rodrigo — actor, singer-songwriter, and all-around ray of sunshine.

Her song "Drivers License" officially debuted this weekend, and fans were in LOVE with it.

View this video on YouTube

The song's release has led people to believe that it's actually about her relationship with HSMTMTS costar Joshua Bassett.

Speculation first started on Jan. 4, when Olivia announced the release of her song and a bunch of her castmates commented their praise. About an hour later, Joshua announced the release of his upcoming single "Lie, Lie, Lie," about which only one castmate commented.

Olivia and Joshua, who play love interests on HSMTMTS, were rumored to be dating within the past year, but neither publicly confirmed a romantic relationship.

This wouldn't be totally out of character, though. Back in 2018, Olivia had previously dated Ethan Wacker, one of her Bizaardvark costars, and the two waited six months before publicly announcing their relationship.

Breakup rumors between Olivia and Josh first came out during summer 2020, when Olivia posted this video on TikTok, where she says "you think u can hurt my feelings? i wrote this song" as "All I Want" played in the background.

Soon after, Olivia posted a photo on Instagram with her close friend Iris Apatow, both wearing "Dump Him" shirts.

Around this time, photos of Joshua and Sabrina Carpenter on what looks like a date surfaced, sparking dating rumors between the two of them.

The two also dressed as Sharkboy and Lavagirl for Halloween and shared a few videos acting out scenes from the movie.

Now, let's go back to the song.

In "Drivers License," Olivia sings about a blonde girl who's "much older" than she is...

And Sabrina is both blonde and four years older than Olivia.

Several fans pointed out that in the original version of the song, Olivia's lyrics were about "that brunette" but were changed to "that blonde," further indicating she was writing with someone specific in mind.

Olivia also sings "Guess you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about me," and fans have speculated that Joshua Bassett's 2020 song "Anyone Else" is about Olivia.

However, it seems as if Sabrina appeared in the "Anyone Else" music video.

The "Drivers License" music video also shows a short clip where someone grabs Olivia's chin — this is the same video used on Spotify's selection of "All I Want" where Joshua is the one grabbing her chin.

Additionally, Olivia mentions seeing their face in "white cars."

And from his YouTube channel, we know that Joshua also has a WHITE car.

And probably the most important clue of all, Olivia shared that Joshua was the person who actually taught her to drive in an In-N-Out parking lot back before she even had her permit — which might be why the song is called "Drivers License."

Flash-forward to after the song's release...

Joshua Bassett and a bunch of other HSMTMTS castmates posted about the song on their IG story. Olivia shared a majority of the posts, but not Joshua's.

Also, Sabrina's ex-boyfriend, Griffin Gluck, posted about the song too.

Finally, Olivia's ex Ethan was brought back into the mix when some fans theorized that "Drivers License" was about him, to which he replied, "Nope. I treated her well."

He even went on to praise the song on his IG and Snapchat stories.

And now, you're pretty much all caught up! Do you think the song is about Joshua? Let us know in the comments and be sure to stream "Drivers License."

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