The Mads Lewis, Nessa Barrett and Jaden Hossler TikTok drama explained
14 April 2021, 13:31
Jaden Hossler addresses Mads Lewis and Nessa Barrett drama on Instagram Live
Mads Lewis is set to appear on the Call Her Daddy podcast to address the whole situation.
If you're a seasoned TikTok user, the names Mads Lewis, Nessa Barrett, Jaden Hossler and Josh Richards might be familiar to you. (If you've never heard of them before in your entire life then you've either spent the last year peacefully scrolling through Alt TikTok or maybe you're an adult.)
Anyway, these four TikTok stars are currently caught up in a whole bunch of (very public) relationship drama that's now spilled over to Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Here's your explainer of what's actually going on.
Mads Lewis and Jaden Hossler have been in an on-again, off-again relationship since 2019. Nessa Barrett and Josh Richards have also been in an on-off relationship for some time. All four of them were friends, often featuring in each others' TikToks. Best friends Josh and Jaden are also both former members of the Sway House but they left in 2020 to focus on their own careers.
In February 2021, Nessa and Jaden joined forces to release a song together called 'La Di Die'. Their musical collab appears to have caused a huge rift between all four parties – thanks to rumours and accusations that the two of them are now dating.
What happened between Mads Lewis, Nessa Barrett and Jaden Hossler?
Mads and Nessa used to be friends but, as you probably already know from the subject of this explainer, they are not anymore.
Rumours that the two of them had fallen out started back in 2020, and it now appears to have escalated after Nessa and Jaden began working on their new song together.
Nessa and Jaden have been spending a lot of time together, working on and promoting the new single. In March 2021, Mads posted a now-deleted TikTok set to Taylor Swift's 'Better Than Revenge', featuring pictures of her and Jaden, and then Jaden and Nessa. In the video, it seemed like Mads was implying that Nessa 'sabotaged' their relationship.
Shortly after posting it, Mads commented on a @tiktokroom post saying that she knew the video was "immature" but she was tired of looking like the "bad guy." She added: "I was never jealous of a song nor jealous of her. I know Ness better than anyone and she knows exactly why I posted this video and that's all that matters."
The drama then spilled over to Twitter where Nessa seemed to indirectly addressed the situation with a series of tweets, ultimately saying she was choosing to focus on herself and her music.
Mads then appeared to accept the blame for "bringing all this drama to social media" and asked her followers to drop it "like [they] did."
Weeks later, however, the drama is still raging on thanks to a new paparazzi video of Nessa and Jaden out at dinner together.
i don’t need to pity myself. i know the decision i made. y’all don’t know the whole story and probably never will because the truth hurts and it shouldn’t be online. night
— ness (@nessaabarrett) April 13, 2021
What did Mads Lewis say on the Call Her Daddy podcast?
Mads told her side of the story on the Call Her Daddy podcast, which was released on Wednesday 14th April. In a teaser posted to Instagram, a tearful Mads said that she "found out this morning that Jaden liked Nessa."
On the podcast, Mads explained that she had a "gut feeling" about Jaden and Nessa, and found out after she heard voice messages about Nessa from Jaden's manager on his iPad, which he left with her while he went on a trip.
Mads then clarified that the pair didn't break up because of Nessa and that he didn't cheat on her, saying: "He did not cheat on me. He did not get with Nessa. That's what he said, that's what I'm going to believe...he said he would never do that to Josh."
Mads also corrects a comment made by Josh Richards on his BFFs podcast where he claimed Mads wouldn't stop calling him, saying: "I called him twice."
Towards the end of the podcast, Mads clarified the she loved Jaden “forever and always”, and praised him for his upcoming album. She also apologised to Josh for posting the TikTok and hurting him in the first place, and also wished Nessa the best.
You can listen to the full episode here.
What has Josh Richards said about Nessa Barrett and Jaden Hossler?
Josh has spoken out about his current relationships with Nessa and Jaden on his BFFs podcast with Dave Portnoy.
Josh admitted that he was upset when Mads initially posted the 'Better Than Revenge' TikTok. "I'm looking at this video and I see two people I love," he said. "They're like my family. I would die for them tomorrow. I would die for them now. The possibility, even if it's 0.5% in the back of brain, of like, 'f*ck I could lose both these people.' That's what made me sad. That's what f*cking killed me."
He also added that he thought Mads was "tripping her f*cking dick off" over the claims that Jaden and Nessa were together.
He then added: "I'm just an innocent bystander in this all. I'm just sitting here. I'm trying to let a girl that I f*cking love so much figure her life out so I can have her back because that's just what I feel like I need. Nessa's something I need in my life and then, at the same time, my one brother that has been beside me since the start of LA...it's been Jaden."
In the next episode, Josh confirmed that he and Nessa had broken up but said that "it wasn't the situation Mads was putting it out there to be. It was just jealousy. That's just like a girl getting broken up with, then being jealous for no reason and then throwing shit online."
Since that episode, however, Nessa and Jaden were spotted out to dinner together. Josh has now reportedly blocked Jaden on social media, prompting Jaden to publicly ask Josh to call him while speaking on Instagram Live.
Personally, I am going to handle this offline. The last 3 weeks has been hard on me and I just need time to think. I appreciate all of my friends and supporters that have reached out to check in on me. It means more than you know. I’m doing ok and have no ill will towards anyone.
— Josh (@JoshRichards) April 13, 2021
What did Jaden Hossler say in his livestream?
On April 13th, the same day as the paparazzi video was posted, Jaden took to Instagram Live to address the whole situation.
"Going on social media is obviously not the right direction. Since Mads is obviously going on the podcast and now like, I guess, Dave [Portnoy]'s coming for my life. This sucks bro, this dead ass sucks. All you people who are getting enjoyment from this, it's not a war, it's not fun, it's not a video game. My best friend in the fucking world blocked me on everything right now."
"I wish nothing but best things for Mads, she's a very sweet girl," he added. "I understand she's been going through a lot of hurt and that's why she might have been handling things the way she has been. Do I agree with it? No."
Toward the end of the live, Jaden also alluded to him and Nessa being together, clarifying that "nobody cheated".
So, are Nessa Barrett and Jaden Hossler now dating?
It looks like Jaden and Nessa are, in fact, together.
When asked by the paparazzi if they were a couple when they were spotted out at dinner together, Jaden denied the claims, saying "I don't know anything about that, but we're just trying to enjoy ourselves."
Jaden also added that he thought he and Nessa handled the situation "respectfully and privately" and said he's "the happiest [he's] ever been." Nessa also agreed. At the end of the video, Nessa and Jaden can be seen holding hands in the back of the car.
The pair have now also got matching tattoos.
