You’ve heard the songs. "Skinny Dipping," "because i liked a boy," and obviously the chart-topping behemoth that is "Espresso." But if you’re trying to map out every Sabrina Carpenter ex, you’re going to realize pretty quickly that the internet is a messy place full of fan theories that don't always hold water. It’s wild how one lyric about a blonde girl can spark a three-year internet war.
Sabrina has basically become the patron saint of the "it's complicated" relationship status. From her Disney Channel days to her current status as a global pop icon, her dating life has been picked apart by millions. People love to speculate. They love the drama. But honestly? Most of the discourse ignores the actual timeline of events.
The Joshua Bassett Era and the Drama That Wouldn't Die
We have to talk about the elephant in the room. If we're looking at any Sabrina Carpenter ex discussion, Joshua Bassett is the name that defines a whole era of pop culture. It was 2021. Olivia Rodrigo dropped "drivers license." The world collectively decided Sabrina was the "blonde girl" who always made Olivia doubt herself.
It was intense.
The backlash Sabrina faced was, frankly, kind of terrifying for a 21-year-old. She wasn't just a singer anymore; she was a villain in a narrative she didn't even write. While Joshua and Sabrina never explicitly confirmed they were "boyfriend and girlfriend" in a formal press release, the paparazzi photos of them in matching Halloween costumes and walking through LA made it pretty obvious.
They were a thing. Then, they weren't.
What people get wrong is the timing. Everyone assumes Sabrina "stole" him, but the timeline suggests things were already over between Joshua and Olivia. Sabrina’s response, the song "Skin," was her trying to reclaim her narrative. It wasn't a diss track, despite what TikTok said. It was a plea for peace. By the time "emails i can't send" dropped in 2022, she was finally able to articulate the trauma of being hated by people who didn't even know her.
Bradley Steven Perry: The First Public Chapter
Before the world-ending drama of the "Drivers License" triangle, there was Bradley Steven Perry. This is the Sabrina Carpenter ex that feels like a lifetime ago. They were the ultimate Disney Power Couple. He was on Good Luck Charlie, she was on Girl Meets World. It was cute. It was wholesome.
He asked her out in 2014 by putting a note in a bottle. Seriously.
They lasted about a year before splitting in 2015. Unlike her later relationships, this one didn't result in a scathing breakup album. They were kids. Growing up in the Disney machine is a specific kind of pressure, and usually, those first loves don't survive the transition into adulthood. There was no social media firestorm back then, just a few sad tweets from fans when they stopped posting photos together.
The Griffin Gluck Mystery
Then there’s Griffin Gluck. They met on the set of the Netflix movie Tall Girl. If you look back at photos from 2019 and early 2020, they were everywhere together. They did the matching Halloween costume thing (Tweedledee and Tweedledum, which is actually a pretty bold choice).
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Fans were convinced they were the real deal.
However, neither of them ever did the big "Instagram Official" hard launch with a sentimental caption. They just... existed in the same space until they didn't. When they stopped appearing on each other's feeds around the start of the pandemic, the rumor mill started spinning. Was he a formal Sabrina Carpenter ex? Most signs point to yes, but they kept the details extremely close to the chest. It’s one of the few times Sabrina managed to have a semi-private relationship while being a public figure.
Shawn Mendes and the "Were They or Weren't They" Phase
This one is tricky. In early 2023, the internet went into a meltdown when Sabrina was spotted out with Shawn Mendes. They were seen walking in LA, looking very comfortable. This was right after Shawn's massive breakup with Camila Cabello, so the stakes felt high.
Was Shawn Mendes a Sabrina Carpenter ex?
Shawn eventually told a reporter, "We are not dating," but the body language in those photos told a different story. It was a short-lived rumor, and soon after, Shawn was seen back with Camila at Coachella. Sabrina, ever the songwriter, seemingly referenced the fleeting nature of some romances in her later tracks. Sometimes a "relationship" is just two famous people hanging out for a few weeks, but in the world of celebrity gossip, that’s enough to cement someone’s status as an ex forever.
Barry Keoghan and the New Standard
If we look at her current situation, things have shifted. Barry Keoghan isn't just a rumored fling; he’s a prominent fixture. From starring in her "Please Please Please" music video to wearing "Sabrina" friendship bracelets at her shows, the Oscar-nominated actor has been very public about his admiration.
But even here, people jump to conclusions.
The internet is constantly "breaking them up" every time they aren't seen together for forty-eight hours. One day there’s a rumor they split because of a cryptic Instagram story; the next day, he’s in the front row of her concert in a different country. It highlights the main problem with how we track a Sabrina Carpenter ex: we assume we see everything, but we really only see what they choose to show us or what a long-lens camera catches at 2:00 AM.
Why the Labels Matter to Fans (But Maybe Not to Her)
Why do we care so much about who Sabrina is dating? It’s the Taylor Swift effect. Sabrina is a phenomenal songwriter who uses her personal life as a blueprint. When she sings about a guy who has "his eyes on his phone," we want to know which Sabrina Carpenter ex she’s dragging. It makes the music feel more intimate. It turns her discography into a scavenger hunt.
But there’s a downside.
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Assigning every song to a specific man diminishes her craft. She’s a storyteller. Sometimes a song is a composite of three different people. Sometimes it’s a feeling she had for five minutes that she turned into a four-minute pop masterpiece. When we obsess over the "who," we often miss the "what"—the actual emotion she’s trying to convey.
Lessons from the Sabrina Carpenter Relationship Timeline
If you're following her journey, there are a few things that become clear about her approach to love and fame:
- Privacy is a choice: She’s gotten much better at navigating what she shares. The Joshua Bassett era taught her that being too open can backfire spectacularly.
- Artistic License: Just because she sings about a "short king" or a specific situation doesn't mean it’s a 100% factual diary entry.
- Growth: You can hear the evolution from the heartbreak of her teenage years to the "I’m doing fine without you" energy of her 20s.
The search for the definitive Sabrina Carpenter ex will probably never end as long as she keeps writing bangers. Every new guy she’s spotted with will be scrutinized, analyzed, and eventually, maybe, written into a bridge. That’s just the price of being a pop star in 2026.
Actionable Insights for Following Celebrity News Responsibly:
- Check the Date: Most "breakup rumors" on TikTok use old footage or out-of-context clips. Always verify with a reputable entertainment source like People or Variety before believing a relationship is over.
- Separate the Art from the Person: Enjoy the lyrics for their emotional resonance rather than trying to "solve" them like a math equation.
- Respect the Boundaries: If a celebrity hasn't confirmed a relationship, it’s all speculation. Avoiding the "stan" wars over who dated whom is generally better for your mental health.
- Watch the Music Videos: Sabrina often leaves "Easter eggs" in her visuals, but they are usually metaphors for her feelings, not necessarily literal clues about her private life.