Demi Lovato Reflects on 'Explosive' Moments Including Assault and Overdose: 'I Was Struggling So Much Internally'
Demi Lovato didn't know that "explosive" moments during their time as a child actress and singer would result in a negative impact on their mental health.
Lovato, who co-directs and appears in new Hulu documentary Child Star, discussed the trials of early fame during a reflective part of the film. "I didn’t realize that it would have such a negative impact on my mental health," said the 32-year-old (as reported by People ). “And unfortunately, sometimes that looks explosive, like an incident where you punch your backup dancer on an airplane or you overdose from heroin."
In 2010, Lovato was touring with the Jonas Brothers when they physically assaulted their former backup dancer Alex Welch while on a plane. The incident caused Lovato to go to rehab, which was chronicled in their 2012 documentary, Demi Lovato: Stay Strong. But a period of drug addiction would ravage Lovato's career, as they had an overdose in 2018 after ingesting a near-fatal combination of heroin laced with fentanyl. During their time in the hospital, Lovato had three strokes and a heart attack.
In making Child Star, Lovato expressed that the project was their attempt at being apologetic about their destructive past.
"Talking to people who knew me at a different time in my life was challenging because I wanted to apologize for my behavior," the "Confident" singer said. "I wasn’t the nicest person to work with at times because I was struggling so much internally, and I was under a lot of pressure."
Among those in Child Star are Raven-Symoné and Alyson Stoner, both who saw Lovato at their worst on acting projects.
Also in Child Star, available to stream now on Hulu, is Drew Barrymore , JoJo Siwa , Kenan Thompson and Christina Ricci , all who navigated fame as children.
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