The Shady Side Of Demi Lovato

First things first: Demi Lovato is awesome. She's one of the best vocalists of her generation, she's gorgeous, and she's an advocate for mental health awareness. That said, she's not without her flaws. Here are some ways the "Confident" songstress can be really shady.

She allegedly punched a backup dancer

Disney star Lovato made big headlines in November 2010 when she was accused of clocking a backup dancer in the face.


According to People, an 18-year-old Lovato was on tour with the Jonas Brothers when she came under fire from the band's tour managers for allegedly misbehaving. Lovato reportedly demanded to know who snitched on her, and then she punched that alleged dancer, Alex Welch, in the face. Welch initially complained that Lovato never apologized to her after the incident, but the singer's reps explained that Lovato had been sequestered in rehab and was unable to communicate with Welch.


In late December 2010, People reported that Welch and Lovato reached a settlement for an undisclosed sum, part of which was donated to charity.

Her frenemy relationship with Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez and Lovato became pals when they both starred in Barney and Friends (1992-2009) at age 7. Their friendship continued into their Disney days, with Gomez reportedly getting Lovato her Camp Rock (2008) audition. A year later, Gomez and Lovato did a joint spread in People, admitting that they "do everything together." They even co-starred in The Princess Protection Program (2009).


However, their friendship showed its first signs of strain in 2010 when a fan asked Lovato on camera, "How's Selena?" Lovato replied, "Ask Taylor [Swift]." (Gomez had been spending a lot of time with Swift.) Lovato also hinted to Girls Life (via Just Jared Jr.) that she had issues with her childhood bestie. "We're both busy, and I wish the best for her," she told the mag. "True friends don't let their friends or family be mean to you. If you can't trust somebody, you can't be friends with them."


The pair eventually made up. Lovato revealed that Gomez was one of the only people to contact her while she was in rehab in November 2010, but those warm fuzzies fizzled again by 2014, when Lovato unfollowed Gomez on social media and told Watch What Happens Live that she doesn't keep up with Gomez anymore.


In keeping with this roller coaster of a relationship, Lovato followed Gomez again in 2015, and Gomez gushed that Lovato was "like family." However, when Complex asked Lovato in September 2015 if she and Gomez still talk, Lovato simply replied, "Nope." By 2017, both ladies had new songs to promote, and what do you know? They were lovey-dovey on Twitter again. Hmm.

She's been accused of relentlessly harping on Taylor Swift

The aforementioned "Ask Taylor" was just the beginning. During a Complex interview in summer 2015, Lovato threw what many interpreted as Swift #squad shade. "I don't really hang out with celebrities," Lovato said. "I'm not the type of person that's on Instagram posting pictures of me and tons of my best friends... I don't have anybody around me who kisses my a**."


When asked about Swift in May 2016, Lovato told Refinery 29, "There are women that I don't get along with, and that's fine." She also subtly shaded Swift's "feminism," noting, "Don't brand yourself a feminist if you don't do the work. I have an immense amount of respect for women like Lena Dunham...or Beyoncé, who make amazing political statements through their work."


By November 2016, Lovato really went in on Swift, her squad, and her award-winning "Bad Blood" music video, telling Glamour: "I think in certain situations, certain people could be doing more if they're going to claim [feminism] as part of their brand... I don't see anybody in any sort of squad that has a normal body. It's kind of this false image of what people should look like. And what they should be like, and it's not real." She added, "I think that having a song and a video about tearing Katy Perry down, that's not women's empowerment... I feel it's selfish when you don't use your voice, because then you're just relishing the attention—you're not using it for good."


When Lovato got some flak for that interview, she doubled down, tweeting, "Still not apologizing for saying what everyone else wants to say."

She dragged Swift into Kesha's legal battle

When Kesha's legal battle with Dr. Luke came to light, Lovato was a huge proponent of the "#FreeKesha" campaign. Though Lovato denies it, many believe she also used that platform to passive-aggressively call out Swift again.


"I'm also ready for self-proclaimed feminists to start speaking out or taking action for women's rights," Lovato tweeted in February 2016. When it was announced that Swift had donated $250,000 to Kesha to cover her court costs. Lovato tweeted: "Take something to Capitol Hill or actually speak out about something and then I'll be impressed."


When a fan on Instagram suggested Lovato was making the issue about herself instead of about Kesha, Lovato flipped out: "How the f**k am I making this about myself?" she wrote (via Us Weekly). "At least I'm talking about it. Not everyone has 250k to just give to people. Would love to but I didn't grow up with money and def haven't made as much as her. At least I speak up about s**t that's uncomfortable to talk about rather than trying to be politically correct 24/7... There's no 'rivalry.'"


Lovato added, "I just give more f**ks than other people and would rather start a dialogue ABOUT WOMEN COMING FORWARD ABOUT BEING RAPED than throw money at one person. Didn't shade Taylor. If you take it that way than fine. I'm just tired of seeing women use 'women empowerment' and 'feminism' to further brands without actually being the ones that have the uncomfortable conversations."

She didn't apologize to Swift

Lovato later backpedaled on her alleged Swift shade slightly, writing, "As most people know, I tend to get fired up about the things I believe in, and although my heart and intentions are always in the right place, unfortunately sometimes my passion gets the best of me and causes me to say things that I probably shouldn't say. And when doing so it takes away from the real reason I am speaking up in the first place... Everyone has their own way of giving support to others, and at the end of the day, helping victims is all that matters. Ultimately, the message I want people to hear is it's okay to come forward with your abuse and if you do decide to take action, you are not alone." Note: Lovato never actually apologized to Swift for allegedly bashing her donation.


Later, Kesha herself spoke graciously about Swift, telling Rolling Stone in October 2017: "[Swift is] very, very sweet, very, very genuine, extremely generous, picks up the phone every time I call her. My mom doesn't even always pick up the phone!" Those glowing words certainly make it sound like Lovato stirred up unwelcome drama for the "Tik Tok" singer.

Her ultra-pricey VIP packages

In Nov. 2015, the VIP packages for Lovato and Nick Jonas' Future Now tour were revealed. People reported that the pair's "Ultimate VIP Dressing Room" deal included a ton of perks for a mere $10,000: a visit and photos with the pop stars, autographed merchandise, access to a stage-side lounge and a private dressing room, and dinner. However, the pricey package somehow didn't include an actual ticket to the concert.


Remember Lovato's aforementioned lecture about not having thousands of dollars lying around and not growing up with money? Did she forget that also describes most of her fans?

Her many social media beefs

Lovato's drama isn't limited to Swift. She has stirred the pot on social media with plenty of celebs. Here are just a few lowlights:


In June 2017, she mocked comedienne Kathy Griffin's tearful reaction following a violent joke about President Donald Trump (to be fair, this beef started in March 2014 when Griffin called Lovato a "douche"). Also in June 2017, Lovato shaded singer Halsey on Twitter after Halsey reportedly dissed her in an interview.


In July 2016, Lovato made the mistake of engaging with famed celeb blogger Perez Hilton on Twitter, and that same month, she briefly quit Twitter and Instagram after calling Mariah Carey "nasty" and "unnecessarily rude" (to which Carey delivered her signature response).


In May 2016, Lovato drew attention to a photo from the Met Gala on Nicki Minaj's Instagram. Minaj notably did not tag Lovato in the awkward pic, so Lovato then posted the same photo to her own Instagram while simultaneously insisting she didn't care about Minaj's post.


Rewind the clock to 2009: Lovato and Miley Cyrus' older brother, Trace Cyrus, dated for about seven seconds and actually broke up on Twitter. Seriously.

Her conflicting messages about body positivity

Lovato prides herself on celebrating a healthy body image, especially after her struggles with bulimia. It's one of the reasons that she supposedly dislikes Swift's squad, but it also makes her own group of pals seem a little suspect.


Lovato is tight with the Kardashians, who frequently document their diets, their "waist training" corsets, and their obsession with cosmetic fillers. Need we mention Kim Kardashian's 445-page book of selfies? Lovato is also tight with Iggy Azalea, who's been honest about getting work done on her face and chest (but denies getting her famous behind boosted).


What's more, Lovato shilled "detox tea" on Instagram in April 2017. While the singer is all about health and fitness (she even has a blue belt in jiu-jitsu!), these controversial products can be dangerous.

She was accused of copyright infringement

In April 2016, the band Sleigh Bells sued the singer for copyright infringement, accusing Lovato of ripping off its songs "Infinity Guitars" and "Riot Rhythm" for her track "Stars." A copy of the complaint, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, reads: "A comparison of the two songs reveals that, at the very least, the combination of the hand claps and bass drum, structured as 3 quarter beats and a rest, with the bass drum providing a counter-rhythm to the hand claps, is at least substantially similar in both works. This infringing material repeats throughout the Defendants' song."


That similarity may not have been Lovato's fault. Billboard reported that her producers denied her involvement with the track's production (though she had a hand in writing the song's lyrics). The band's claim was eventually settled for an undisclosed amount.

Her Zendaya doll comments

After Zendaya was honored with her very own Barbie likeness in September 2015, Lovato didn't congratulate the fellow Disney alum. Instead, she tweeted, "Hey @Barbie, what about a curvy doll or one with true to size measurements? I'll model!"


It wasn't the first time these two stars butted heads. In 2011, Lovato criticized Disney for including an eating disorder joke in an episode of Zendaya's show, Shake it Up (2010-13). Prior to that, Lovato tweeted, "And is it just me or are the actress' getting THINNER AND THINNER.... I miss the days of RAVEN, and LIZZIE MCGUIRE...Dear Disney Channel, EATING DISORDERS ARE NOT SOMETHING TO JOKE ABOUT."


Zendaya's dad didn't take kindly to Lovato's remarks, replying, "@ddlovato don't hate the player, hate the game...my daughter looks up to you and admires you greatly...how about apologizing for all the hate you just sent my daughter's way you shouldn't have commented on her being too skinny...@ddlovato practice what you preach...you've never even met her and you commented on her: she is healthy, is not too skinny it's wrong to make comments on twitter... [talking] about what Disney said is one thing but when u commented on her body type you did exactly what they did...she's been a huge fan of yours through everything I just recently sent her niece to your concert...it's not right what u tweeted about the girls...it's hypocritical." He added that Zendaya received "a lot of hate" thanks to Lovato's comments.


Lovato later apologized to Zendaya, or at least she tried to.

She may have played a role in Nick Jonas' big breakup

Lovato and Nick Jonas were platonic BFFs for years, but her song "Ruin the Friendship" suggests she may have had deeper feelings for the youngest JoBro. Lyrics include: "Put down your cigar and pick me up / Play me your guitar, that song I love... Your body's looking good tonight / I'm thinkin' we should cross the line / Let's ruin the friendship... What's taken us all this time?"


Lovatics were quick to note (via People) that Jonas loves cigars and is a guitar wizard, so it wasn't hard to make an educated guess who that song was about. (Lovato confirmed only that it was about someone in her life.)


That tune also adds some potential perspective to Lovato and Jonas' joint 2016 interview with Billboard. They both discussed his breakup from model Olivia Culpo. Jonas said Lovato told him to "'Just go, ­create and be free.' She also said some other things..."


Lovato added, "I go, 'Honestly, I didn't like her anyway.' It's not because she's mean or anything, but he has such a great sense of humor and I want him to be with someone that makes him laugh."


We're willing to bet Culpo really appreciated that intel being shared with the world.

She promoted sobriety while she was still on drugs

Lovato revealed in her 2017 documentary, Demi Lovato: Simply Complicated, that while promoting her "Stay Strong" campaign about sobriety in 2012, she was still using cocaine.


In the documentary, she says: "I wasn't working my program, I wasn't ready to get sober. I was sneaking [cocaine] on planes, I was sneaking it in bathrooms, sneaking it throughout the night... I went on a bender of like, two months where I was using daily. There was one night when I used a bunch of coke and I popped a few Xanax bars, and I began to choke a little bit. My heart started racing, and I thought to myself, 'Oh my God, I might be overdosing right now.'... I was using while I had a sober companion, and I went through about 20 different sober companions."


Lovato wound up hospitalized for taking a slew of pills, and while in the hospital, she reportedly took more pills and cursed at a nurse for not allowing her to kill herself. She was placed in a psych ward but still couldn't get clean, admitting to sneaking cocaine, faking her drug tests, and lying to her handlers.


The last night she ever touched alcohol, she supposedly got drunk with two strangers and vomited on her way to the airport for an American Idol taping, where she performed hungover. It wasn't until her team announced it was leaving and forced her to destroy her phone (with drug dealers' contacts in it) that she got clean.