Demi Lovato got honest in regards to the challenges of sharing the highlight with Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus while on the Disney Channel.
In the course of the Tuesday, March 3, episode of Keke Palmer‘s podcast, Lovato, 33, was asked in regards to the network “all the time pitting” her against Cyrus and Gomez, each 33, as child stars. Lovato noted that she was already friends with Gomez before she booked roles in Because the Bell Rings, Sonny With a Probability and Camp Rock.
“We actually were on Barney together, and so I felt this safety once I got here into the Disney Channel having a built-in friendship there already,” Lovato recalled.
Lovato said she felt “grateful” then and “will all the time be glad about the friendship that I even have and proceed to have” with Gomez, who starred on Wizards of Waverly Place. She admitted, nevertheless, that being in comparison with Cyrus and Gomez was “difficult.”
“You naturally have insecurities at a young age,” she continued. “So you begin comparing yourself to other people.”
Lovato added: “But one thing my mom instilled in me was, ‘There’s room for everybody. It’s not a contest.’ That’s what I actually stuck by. That’s what form of got me through that period. I used to be all the time rooting for everyone.”
On a bigger scale, Lovato continues to be coping with how she feels about her time on Disney years after leaving the network. “There’s so many emotions that come to mind once I take into consideration that time frame in my life,” she said. “Those were the years that began all of it for me, and I even have very fond memories. Some not so fond memories of the [struggles] that I had when filming those shows.”
Lovato specifically addressed her eating disorder and mental health battles before adding, “But ultimately, [I have] very fond memories. I made friends that I can have for the remaining of my life.”
The singer previously opened up about her experiences from child stardom in a September 2024 Hulu special while interviewing other actors in regards to the pitfalls of fame.
“I wouldn’t find yourself where I’m had I not made all the alternatives leading up thus far, nevertheless it got here at a price,” Lovato explained in Child Star. “There is unquestionably not a manual on learn how to navigate this industry at such a young age.”
After appearing on Barney & Friends, Lovato was booked and busy on the Disney Channel and pursued a music profession, which caused her to burn out.
“It was a part of my disassociation that I don’t remember a lot of my show,” she noted on the time. “But I do remember how difficult I used to be to work with because I used to be in a lot pain and I used to be hurting.”
Lovato also spoke in regards to the pressure that got here with being labeled a job model, adding, “I needed to be so conscious of every little thing that I did as a Disney kid. You obviously couldn’t cuss or swear in public. You couldn’t be seen with red Solo cups since it could insinuate that there may be alcohol.”