Just four years ago, in the “Driver’s License” drama era, Sabrina Carpenter’s stans were in the trenches, defending the queen against those relentless “homewrecker” and “slut” allegations. Olivia Rodrigo famously sang, “You’re probably with that blonde girl” in the iconic heartbreak ballad about her High School Musical: The Musical: The Series costar, Joshua Bassett. Online detectives decided that said blonde girl must be Sabrina because of the Sabrina and Joshua dating rumors at the time. As I’m sure you recall, Sabrina responded to Olivia with “Skin” (“Maybe blonde was the only rhyme,” she sang cheekily) and addressed her haters in “Because I Liked a Boy”: “Now I’m a homewrecker, I’m a slut / I got death threats filling up semi-trucks.”
It was “Nonsense,” the playful, innuendo-laced track from that same album, that helped catapult Sabrina to superstardom and pave the way for the “Espresso,” Short n’ Sweet era. (For those of us who’d been fans since her Girl Meets World and “Thumbs” days, her sudden A-list status was quite a shock to the system.) In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Sabrina reflected on the “Driver’s License” drama and shared how she views it now as she steps into her Man’s Best Friend chapter.
Sabrina Carpenter On “Driver’s License” Drama: Rolling Stone Quotes
Sabrina Carpenter’s Quotes About The Olivia Rodrigo “Driver’s License” Drama
During the interview, the “Manchild” singer was asked if her “restless work ethic” is at all related to the “Driver’s License” era — perhaps part of an effort to leave it behind. “I didn’t really intentionally do that,” she mused. “All I knew was that it wasn’t going to stop me from doing what I loved, ever. That’s kind of how I’ve always felt. Sometimes, it’s about how you are able to be resilient.”
Sabrina reflected on the lessons she took away from that chaotic time. “What that era taught me was to just trust myself, and trust that everything is going to work out the way it’s supposed to, and trust that relationships are put into your life for a reason,” she said. “You might not see that in the moment, but you see it later.” As in… maybe Joshua was put in her life because that drama indirectly helped turn her into one of the most famous people in the world.
These days, the infamous love triangle and “Driver’s License” of it all aren’t really on her mind. “I don’t think about it, ever,” Sabrina emphasized. She quipped, “I’ve tried being brunette, and it didn’t look good on me, so this is what it is.” (Elsewhere in the interview, she talked about using “sarcasm as a tactic of being transparent,” so she doesn’t “come across as rude or bitchy.”)
It does seem like Olivia and Sabrina have since reconciled — they were spotted hugging at the 2025 Grammys. Considering they’re two of the most relevant pop stars of their generation and constantly cross paths at award shows, I imagine it would’ve been emotionally exhausting not to make up. I’m happy the girlies have made peace and are both thriving.
