Joshua Bassett made sure to stick up for Olivia Rodrigo during a live show in what has now become a viral video.
Bassett was performing a song when someone shouted in his crowded disparaging comments about Rodrigo, his High School Musical: The Musical: The Series co-star and alleged ex. A relationship between the pair has never been confirmed but speculation has surrounded them ever since the release of Rodrigo’s smash hit “Driver’s License” which fans believe is about Bassett.
A recent TikTok video taken at one of Bassett’s concerts shows how unimpressed he was when someone said something negative about Rodrigo. His response was widely praised by fans across social media.
While performing at The Roseland Theater in Portland, Oregon, as part of his Complicated Tour, Bassett was playing piano and singing his song “Set Me Free.” However, part way through the song, a male voice can be heard from the crowd shouting “F*** Olivia.”
Without missing a beat in the song, Bassett side-eyes the audience member who shouted the disparaging comment, seemingly about Rodrigo. He slowly shakes his head disapprovingly before going back to focus on the song.
The video was shared on TikTok by @mia__renae_ who said “he’s such a sweet soul” in the caption. Hundreds of thousands of people liked the video and over 1.7 million people watched it on TikTok alone.
His handling of the situation was commended within the comment section of the video. “The eye rolled after the head shake is so real like he wasn’t having it,” one fan noted, getting over 33,000 like for saying so.
“He’s showing her the respect and care no one ever showed him,” wrote one fan with a crying emoji, getting 35,600 likes for their take.
The video was shared on Twitter where it got a further 1.8 million views, and more fans weighed in.
“Now why would they even do that?” one commenter said while another said Bassett was a “real man” because “despite the stories, he defends his ex.” He was also repeatedly called a “respectful king” throughout.
The link between High School Musical: The Musical: The Series stars Bassett and Rodrigo is part of an alleged love triangle involving fellow Disney star Sabrina Carpenter. Around 2021, when Rodrigo was releasing new music, there was a wave of online backlash against Bassett from her fans who believed her heartbreaking songs were inspired by him.
Despite all the rumors and speculation surrounding the trio, they’ve never confirmed a relationship with a statement or via social media.
Joshua Bassett made sure to stick up for Olivia Rodrigo during a live show in what has now become a viral video.
