Alexa, play “Driver’s License” — then Sabrina Carpenter’s “Because I Liked a Boy.” Olivia Rodrigo Joshua BassettReunited for the season 3 premiere High School Musical: The Musical SeriesAfter the drama on screen, the alleged exes were wrapped in endless drama.
Rodrigo, 19, posed with Bassett, 21 on Wednesday, July 27, in Los Angeles. This sent social media users into a frenzy. The costars, who play the roles of Nini and Ricky, on Disney+, were smiling in all-black attires before joining their castmates to take group shots.
“Joshua bassett and olivia rodrigo smiling and taking photos together was not on my 2022 bingo card,” one social media user tweeted.
Another fan wrote, “JOSHUA BASSETT AND OLIVIA RODRIGO…BREATHING THE SAME AIR…NEXT TO EACH OTHER…IN 2022…I HAVE NO WORDS.”
“Never in a million f—king years would i have predicted an olivia rodrigo and joshua bassett pic together,” a third person tweeted.
Fans’ shock comes after Rodrigo seemingly penned her viral debut single about Bassett in January 2021. The breakup song was apparently a reference to Carpenter, 23-year-old blonde girl who Bassett chose over Rodrigo.
“I would see TikToks with like 50 million views and 10 million likes saying, ‘If I ever see that kid on the street, I’m going to f—king kill him.’ It’s hard to see that and then be living in New York and walking down the street,” Bassett told GQDecember 2021 was the start of the backlash against the track and the alleged love triangle. “I got a protector screen on my phone so people can’t look at it when I’m at a coffee shop. There are certain people who I can’t hang out with in public because they’re too loud.”
The “Lie Lie Lie” singer added at that the time that Rodrigo “hasn’t spoken to me since ‘Drivers License’ came out.”
After production on season 3 HSMTMTSIn early 2022, it was announced that Rodrigo would be taking a smaller role on the show. Sour tour.
“From a pure logistical standpoint, the idea of Olivia doing the entire season and doing her tour was immediately looking impossible,” show creator Tim FederleTelled Entertainment WeeklyIn July. “But she was and is such an important part of the DNA of the show that it also didn’t feel right to not give an explanation for where the character of Nini went. That was thing one: how do you make both things work, schedule-wise?”
While the “Good 4 U” singer has downplayed Bassett and Carpenter’s connections to her music, the Girl Meets WorldFor her part, the alum released a very personal album. Emails I Can’t SendEarlier this month. In “Because I Liked a Boy,” she reflects on being called “homewrecker.”
“I got death threats filling up semi-trucks,” the lyrics read. “I’m the hot topic on your tongue / I’m a rebound gettin’ ’round / Stealin’ from the young / Tell me who I am / Guess I don’t have a choice / All I because I liked a boy.”
Scroll down to view photos from the HSMTMTS premiere:
