Demi Lovato Admits She &x27;Wasn&x27;t the Nicest&x27; and Was &x27;Bratty on Set&x27; as a Disney Teenager: &x27;I Was So Miserable&x27; Rachel McRadyTue, March 3, 2026 at 10:06 PM UTC 0 Demi Lovato in September 2008 in London; Demi Lovato in January 2026 in Beverly Hills, Calif.Credit: Gareth Cattermole/Getty; Amy Sussman/Getty Demi Lovato reflected on her struggles as a Disney star, including mental health challenges and high expectations In a new podcast interview with Keke Palmer on Tuesday, March 3, the pop star shared how she made amends for her behavior during that time, attributing it...
Demi Lovato Admits She 'Wasn't the Nicest' and Was 'Bratty on Set' as a Disney Teenager: 'I Was So Miserable'
Rachel McRadyTue, March 3, 2026 at 10:06 PM UTC
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Demi Lovato in September 2008 in London; Demi Lovato in January 2026 in Beverly Hills, Calif.Credit: Gareth Cattermole/Getty; Amy Sussman/Getty -
Demi Lovato reflected on her struggles as a Disney star, including mental health challenges and high expectations
In a new podcast interview with Keke Palmer on Tuesday, March 3, the pop star shared how she made amends for her behavior during that time, attributing it to internal struggles.
Lovato now looks back with gratitude, appreciating the friendships and opportunities from her early career
Demi Lovato is giving her younger self some grace.
The 33-year-old pop star who got her start on Barney and the Disney Channel, detailed her struggles during her days with Disney in a new podcast interview with Keke Palmer.
"There's so many emotions that come to mind when I think about that period of time in my life," Lovato, who uses she/they pronouns, told Palmer, 32, on the Tuesday, March 3 episode of the Baby, This Is Keke Palmer podcast.
She continued, "I have a lot of compassion for my younger self, because we were held to such high standards at such a young age… I think I was so hard on myself at the time that I wish I'd had more grace for myself."
Lovato got her start on the Disney series As the Bell Rings and Sonny with a Chance, later becoming best known for her role in Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2 alongside Joe Jonas, Nick Jonas and Kevin Jonas.
Demi Lovato in June 2008 in New York CityCredit: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage
Citing a "breakdown" she had after a tour promoting Camp Rock 2, Lovato said she went through the Alcoholics Anonymous program and made amends as a part of the 12 steps.
"I had to make amends to a lot of people saying like, 'I'm sorry. I was so challenging to work with at the time. I was so miserable in my own skin and dealing with what I was going through, that I wasn't the nicest person to work with at the time,'" Lovato shared.
She added, "And I think that chapter of my life where I was being really reflective of everything and, like, I wanted to make sure I wanted to right my wrongs."
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Demi Lovato on 'Sonny with a Chance' in 2011.Credit: Adam Rose/Disney Channel via Getty
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Palmer, a former child star herself, noted that sometimes the decisions they made when they were younger came from a place of trying to "survive," which Lovato agreed with.
"I was 16, 17, like, I don't know," Lovato said. "I just wasn't always the nicest because what happened was when people would come on set and they'd say, 'Good morning, Demi. How are you?' In my head, I would literally think, 'You don't care about me. You don't really care how I'm doing.'"
Demi Lovato in January 2026 in Los AngelesCredit: Stefanie Keenan/Getty
She added of her younger self, "I just wanted so badly for someone to see that I was struggling. And when I ended up having my breakdown, like everyone did, and I was able to explain to people afterwards, like, it wasn't personal. Like, when I showed up and was bratty on set, like, that was not my intention. I was just doing, like, exactly what you said, doing what I had to do to survive."
In addition to better understanding her younger self, Lovato said that she's also able to look back on that time with "so much gratitude."
"Those were the years that started it all for me, and I have very fond memories," she said. "Some not so fond memories of the struggling that I had when filming those shows."
Added Lovato, "You know, having struggled with an eating disorder while on camera was really challenging. I struggled with my mental health very much so, but ultimately, like, very fond memories. I made friends that I will have for the rest of my life."
Lovato will release her first-ever cookbook ONE PLATE AT A TIME: Recipes for Finding Freedom with Food on March 31.
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: March 4, 2026 at 12:45AM on Source: MANUEL MAG
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