Inside Demi Lovato's Relationship History

The following article includes references to substance use and mental health issues.

Demi Lovato's dating life has been complicated. The singer-actor's long list of exes includes fellow celebrities, athletes, and more. Lovato has opened up about these past relationships in her music and during interviews, but like many former Disney stars, her dating history has been publicized since her teen years. The ups and downs the musician has experienced in their relationships seems to have taught them a lot, because in 2009, a young but wise Lovato took to Twitter to share: "Love is like death. You anticipate it, but when it happens you were never truly expecting it."

Although Lovato has been in a fair share of relationships, she's also taken time to enjoy the single life. During a 2020 interview on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," they opened up about getting to know themself during this learning period. "I realized that I am the type of person that will find any way to regulate when I'm sad or lonely or whatever," she told DeGeneres. "I have to fight those battles on my own and I can't let somebody come in and fix those issues for me. So right now, I'm single and spending my Saturday nights by myself." This period of self-discovery may have aided Lovato in building the foundation for a healthy relationship, which she appears to be enjoying these days as she has moved on with boyfriend Jute$, who is also a musician.

Let's take a look inside Demi Lovato's relationship history.

Interestingly, Demi Lovato dated another star who is associated with Miley Cyrus. The "Confident" singer was in a relationship with Miley's older brother, Trace Cyrus, in 2009. Trace is famous in his own right and is most well known for being the guitarist in the band Metro Station. We don't hear as much from Trace Cyrus anymore, so it seems that he has stepped away from the spotlight in more recent years, but he wasn't shy about his love for Lovato during her Disney days. The musician often took to Twitter to flirt with the star. "@ddlovato you don't realize how excited I am! My tour manger is bookin my flight now! Your all I've thought about ever since I left town," he once wrote alongside a heart emoticon (via Seventeen).

Although Trace and Lovato seemed to be in love, their relationship was short-lived. While speaking with People, Trace revealed why the romance ended. "Demi is one of my good friends and I definitely became very, very close with her in the past few months, and it's something I really wanted to make work," he explained. "But unfortunately, we both have very busy schedules — we're both on tour right now." The then-20-year-old musician went on to add that their age gap was also a factor in the breakup. "Maybe when she's older and we've both matured, we'll be looking for the same thing and it can work out," Trace said of his then-16-year-old ex.

Demi Lovato's relationship with "That '70s Show" actor Wilmer Valderrama was often questioned because of their age gap. According to Us Weekly, Lovato was only 17 when she met Valderrama, who was 29 at the time. The couple dated from 2010 to 2016, and Lovato gushed about her ex-boyfriend even after they parted ways. In the singer's 2017 documentary "Simply Complicated," she recalled the first time she met the actor. "When I met him and I laid eyes on him for the first time, I was in hair and makeup and he came in and sat down and I was like, 'I love this man and I have to have him,'" Lovato said, adding with a laugh, "But I was only 17, and so he was like, 'Get away from me.' After I had turned 18, we began dating." It appears that Lovato didn't see a problem with the age-gap relationship at the time.

In 2022, however, the star's song "29" seemed to hint that they changed their opinion on their romance with Valderrama after turning 29 themself. Lovato opened up about the revelation that led her to write the song during an interview for Apple Music that August. "When I turned 29, I remember I was on vacation and I just realized I'm 29 now, and it put things into perspective," they shared with Zane Lowe. "It put everything into perspective. And I'm very careful with the way that I answer these questions because I feel like the song says it all."

Demi Lovato continued their pattern of dating professional athletes when they linked up with MMA fighter Guilherme Vasconcelos (aka "Bomba") shortly after leaving Luke Rockhold. In January 2017, a source told People, "Demi and Luke broke up before Christmas. It wasn't anything dramatic. The relationship just wasn't heading where she wanted it to go. Luke was really cool about it, and they were on the same page. She's started seeing Bomba again. She's really physically attracted to him."

Lovato's relationship with Vasconcelos was a little less low-key than her previous romance. The couple often displayed their love for one another on social media. In fact, they went public with their fling with a since-deleted Instagram photo shared for New Year's, as reported by People. Lovato later took to Instagram to post a now-deleted clip of her learning jiu-jitsu with the help of her professional athlete boyfriend. The singer briefly opened up about their experience dating an MMA fighter during an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" that February. She shared that she feared for Vasconcelos' safety sometimes, but it typically wasn't a concern because he's a pro. 

When the duo parted ways in May 2017, an anonymous source alleged that the former lovers were mature about the breakup. "It wasn't a dramatic split," the insider told People. "Bomba is a good guy, but the relationship just ran its course."

Demi Lovato formed a crush on Mike Johnson after watching him compete for love on "The Bachelorette." According to People, she took to her Instagram Stories in July 2019 to share that she seemingly only had eyes for Johnson while watching the show. The musician even wrote: "Mike I accept your rose." Lovato eventually caught the reality TV star's attention and was later reportedly spotted out on a date with her new fling, per E! News. A source claimed to the outlet, "They did go on a date and it's been going well. They seem to have a lot in common and are just enjoying getting to know each other."

While this alleged date was never confirmed, Johnson shared that he was in fact involved with Lovato during a September 2019 interview with E! News shortly after. "I'm just getting to know Demi," he said. "I think she's absolutely fantastic, and I don't want no pressure on her, no pressure on me — we're just trying to get to know each other. That's all." He went on to admit he and the "Cool for the Summer" singer were exclusive. During a separate interview with People at the time, Johnson shared that Lovato made the first move, and he was drawn to her boldness. However, Johnson seemingly confirmed he had moved on Lovato after he got flirty with KeKe Palmer during an appearance on "Strahan, Sara and Keke" in October 2019 (via Access).

Demi Lovato and former "The Young and the Restless" star Max Ehrich sparked dating rumors after Lovato accidentally made an appearance in the background of one of the actor's Instagram Live streams in March 2020, as captured by Pop Crave. The couple later announced their engagement on Instagram that July, and they appeared to be deeply in love. In a since-deleted post, Lovato wrote in part, "I knew I loved you the moment I met you. It was something I can't describe to anyone who hasn't experienced it firsthand but luckily you did too. I've never felt so unconditionally loved by someone in my life (other than my parents) flaws and all" (via Glamour).

Unfortunately, the couple's whirlwind relationship was brought into question after it was alleged that Elrich had previously shared a series of tweets about Selena Gomez, who famously grew apart from Lovato after a years-long friendship. Lovato denied that Elrich wrote the flirty tweets, and instead suggested they were edited by fans who hoped for a feud involving Gomez. The musician took to their Instagram Stories to address the drama. "It's really sad when people FAKE images to put women against each other," she wrote in part (via Cosmopolitan). "If women have conflict that's between them NOT YOU." 

Still, the couple later split just two months after announcing their engagement. Noting that both reportedly wanted to focus on their work, a source cited by People claimed, "They have respect and love for one another and will always cherish the time they spent together."