Demi Lovato

[stina]

I don't know this girl from Miley, but poor kid. I hope she has people around her who genuinely want her to get better, even if it means quitting the business, and don't just aim for "damage control" and "employable" like in Lindsay Lohan's case.

[Deleted]

I feel sorry for her. That is a whole lot of shit to be dealing with so young. And in front of millions of people.

[kali]

I really couldn't figure out with that tweet if Ashley is just a straight-up dumbass who didn't think, if she was being purposefully malicious, or if she thought it would help smooth things over and distract from the drama. It came out like an hour or two after the announcement though, so it looks really tacky, imo. Some want to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she didn't know the press statement had just been released, but please. Like every one of her friends wouldn't have texted her immediately. Not to mention Demi shares management with the Jonas Bros, so I'm sure they were well-aware of what was going on.

Joe's getting a lot of hate right now. I wouldn't be shocked if he and Ashley "break up" in the next couple of weeks.

[chiqui]

I wish teens and their scandals would stay off the media, both for the good of the teen, and the sanity of adults (who naturally would rather know about adult scandals.) But I know it won't happen. It's a two-way street. Disney publicists make sure these kids are all over the place in malls and fashion shows and showing up at movie premieres, and the kids tweet and say stupid things like the kids they are, and when they fall, it's a public event too.

It's odd because in the 80s and 90s, even considering celebrity media culture wasn't as developed as it is today, teen stars were pretty much off-limits, mostly because they were considered silly passing fads and unworthy of adult interest. But after Britney Spears had a year or two on the scene -- with her sexually charged image and virginity pronouncements -- that's all changed. It's kind of sick.

[rascal]

As someone who just hit 40, I'm soooo tired of the youth culture that is perpetuated in general with the media, especially in the US.
I think these kids should just be kids... I wouldn't thrust my kids into this business ever.

[Deleted]

Bullying, Bulimia, Airport Altercation: Behind the Scenes of Demi Lovato's Breakdown

Something had to give for Demi Lovato.

Bullied so bad she left her school. So hung up on self-image problems that family members say she cut herself. Working nonstop on a grueling cycle of touring, shooting and personal appearances—alongside a guy who broke her heart...and his high-profile new girlfriend.

It was apparently far too much for a girl derisively called "Demi Drama."

This is what we've learned about the circumstances behind the Disney star's shocking announcement that she was leaving the Jonas Brothers tour and heading into treatment for "personal issues."

"Demi has decided to take personal responsibility for her actions and seek help," her rep told E! News yesterday. "She is doing just that. Demi and her family ask that the media please respect their privacy during this difficult time. She regrets not being able to finish her tour, but is looking forward to getting back to work in the near future."

Lovato's troubles date back years. Despite a promising career with credits ranging from Barney to Disney specials, she was a target by her classmates.

"I was bullied in middle school. It got so bad I chose to leave and be home schooled," she wrote in an October letter on the PACER's Teens Against Bullying website.

"Many people think of bullying as getting beat up in school, but it is so much more than that. For me it was all of the verbal harassment I had to deal with. People say sticks and stones may break your bones but names can never hurt you, but that's not true. Words can hurt. They hurt me. Things were said to me that I still haven't forgotten."

A source tells E! News that Demi Lovato has struggled with bulimia, and it is among one of her emotional and physical issues. Two years ago, photos surfaced of her with suspicious marks on her wrist while she attended Miley Cyrus' birthday party. At the time, her rep tried to shoot down the notion that it was self-mutilation, blaming it on candy jewelry.

"Demi was wearing gummy bracelets just prior to her appearance on the red carpet and, because of how tight they were, they left indentations on her wrist," publicist Allison Leslie insisted to E! News.

But family sources say Lovato has indeed cut herself in the past.

However, things came to a breaking point in recent months.

"On tour [this summer] they were calling her ‘Demi Drama,' another insider with the Lovato-JoBros tour tells E! News.

"After she split with Joe, it was just a whole bunch of drama, very awkward. Everyone tried to be professional, but you could tell it was wearing down Demi. It was a taboo subject to bring up, but clearly she wasn't over Joe.

"The [Jonas] boys got a break after the tour, but Demi went a nonstop promo campaign for Camp Rock 2 and was pushing the single for that movie. It really was too much ask of a girl that young. She just couldn't handle it."

"I think Demi has a lot of issues she is dealing with, but at the source of them all is a great deal of stress."

But another source says there was even more to her weekend meltdown that saw her shut down her Twitter account and leave the JoBros tour in the middle of its South American swing.

At the airport in Peru on Saturday, Demi got into a scuffle with a backup dancer.

"She just lost it right at the airport in front of everyone," says the source. "The [Jonases'] dad basically said right there, 'That's it. You're going home.' "

Demi also made verbal threats to Joe's new squeeze, Ashley Green, who was at the airport as well and witnessed her meltdown, the source says.

Indeed, according to a someone close to the Lovato family, the airport altercation was the "catalyst" to Lovato deciding to "take responsibility" for her actions.

Obviously I have no insight into the situation, but I think her problem is probably a combination of drugs and emotional strain. I don't buy that body issues and high school bullying led to her fighting with a dancer and lashing out at Ashley in the middle of an airport. That was a pretty dangerous thing for her to do. Maybe she isn't on street drugs, but I bet she's at least a pill popper.

As far as Ashley and Joe go, yeah, it might be a little callous of them to display PDA in front of her, but Demi should have known what she was getting into when she agreed to tour with the Jonas Brothers again. Joe has every right to date other people and bring them on tour if he wants to, just the same as Demi does. That's why people should think about things like that before jumping into relationships with friends or especially people they work with. It doesn't give Demi the right to start fights or make the whole tour uncomfortable. That Disney group is so incestuous anyway, they should be used to it by now. Aren't Demi and Taylor Swift friends, and they have both dated Joe? And Taylor and Selena, who have both dated Taylor Lautner? And Selena and Miley, who have both dated Nick Jonas? Those kids make my head spin.


ETA: Also, Demi's father is already giving interviews. He says that he is battling cancer and hasn't seen Demi since 2008 because she is "too busy." Something is up, there.

[incognito]

Re: the bullying - I've heard numerous stories indicating that Demi was a bully herself, and that the bullying she received was a response to that. Not that that puts her bullies in the clear, but apparently she's not that innocent of bullying either.

Granted, these stories were posted anonymously by people on gossip sites, so who knows if they're true or not. I do recall that someone did post yearbook photos to show that she had gone to school with Demi, but that doesn't prove that the "Demi was a bully" stories are true. Still, I have gotten the occasional mean girl vibe from her ("ask Taylor"), so I wouldn't be surprised.

[chiqui]

The whole thing is even more awful when you consider what she is killing herself for. Camp Rock shite? The Jonas Brothers tour? If a teen girl is giving up that much of her freedom and sanity, at least let it be for something worthwhile.

(I think one of the problems too with these kids is that they're very aware they're producing shite and forced to march lock-step in a big shite-producing machine, yet they're being lauded and rewarded for it. That's got to play on your head.)

[dallance]

Nov 2, 2010 17:35:47 GMT -4 incognito said:

Re: the bullying - I've heard numerous stories indicating that Demi was a bully herself, and that the bullying she received was a response to that. Not that that puts her bullies in the clear, but apparently she's not that innocent of bullying either.

Granted, these stories were posted anonymously by people on gossip sites, so who knows if they're true or not. I do recall that someone did post yearbook photos to show that she had gone to school with Demi, but that doesn't prove that the "Demi was a bully" stories are true. Still, I have gotten the occasional mean girl vibe from her ("ask Taylor"), so I wouldn't be surprised.

She did talk about her experience with being bullied on The View not too long ago. The "Ask Taylor" thing was definitely a catty moment, though. Selena and Demi can't be friends because Selena hangs out with Taylor Swift? I think she dated Miley Cyrus' heinous brother for a short time, too. I vaguely remember them having a Twitter break up fight. (Why do I know that?)

[angelaudie]

ETA: Also, Demi's father is already giving interviews. He says that he is battling cancer and hasn't seen Demi since 2008 because she is "too busy." Something is up, there.

From what I understand, he walked out on Demi and her mother when Demi was little and basically had nothing to do with her. Then, when Demi became famous, he was suddenly interested in being her father. So, not only does poor Demi have a Dina Lohan wannabe for a mom but she also has the Michael Lohan wannabe for a dad.

To me the "Ask Taylor" thing is another symptom of her emotional issues. I bet anything Demi is extremely insecure so she became threatened when she realized one of her friends had become friends with someone else. In her view, she was being replaced and she probably viewed that as a betrayal. So, she lashed out.

It's very possible that Demi was both bullied and a bully. It's not unheard of for bullied kids to start bullying others in order to make themselves feel better. Again, it's a sign of extreme insecurity.

Last year Demi was photographed at an event and you could see cuts on her arms and wrists. Demi, of course, denied she was cutting herself and insisted it was from wearing bracelets too tight. I'm glad she's finally accepting she has a problem and seeking help for it. Disney is probably flipping out about losing a role model but you know I think Demi can still be a good role model to kids. She can use this opportunity, once she has herself together, to let kids know it's ok to admit you have a problem and to seek help for it.

Joe Jonas and Ashley Greene are jackholes. That is all.