The Untold Truth Of Demi Lovato And Ariana Grande's Friendship
Celebrity friendships don't always make it and unfortunately, sometimes the media brings more attention to feuds than friendships. Just look at all the hype Taylor Swift's rift with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West has received over the years. There has been no shortage of rat memes, snake emojis, and leaked video footage, right?
Meanwhile, positive, long-lasting friendships aren't highlighted as often, especially where it concerns women. Demi Lovato opened up about this issue in an April 2020 interview with Harper's Bazaar, sharing her past and personal experience with friendships to address the media's fascination with pitting women against each other. As for one special connection Lovato paid homage to? Look no further than her dear pal and fellow powerhouse, Ariana Grande.
So in the spirit of celebrating female friendship, let's take a look at the history of Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande's relationship and explore how these two have managed to stay close.
Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande have a long history
Superstars Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande rose to fame independently of each other, as in 2011, Lovato "was all over the Disney channel while Grande was Nickelodeon's 'it' girl," Elite Daily noted. Although the two didn't actually meet until 2013, per E! News, they did exchange supportive messages on social media. And after Lovato returned to Twitter after a break from social media in 2011, Grande welcomed her back with a sweet message.
However, the friendship hit the tiniest of snags when in December 2013, a fan claimed she met Lovato at the airport on her way to Cancun and that Lovato, whom the fan called "Demi Lavender," was saying mean things about Grande and that the singer was someone who would "come and go" (via J-14).
Lovato shut down the rumor in a tweet, joking, "I wish I was on my way to Cancun. But not as much as I wish my last name was Lavender." Epic.
Ariana Grande will always have Demi Lovato's back
Rumors surfaced again that Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande were feuding when fans saw the lineup for the "One Love" Manchester tribute concert, which took place on June 4, 2017. When one fan on Instagram asked why Lovato wasn't included, especially since she supported Grande after the terrorist attack, the "I Love Me" singer replied, "Cause I wasn't asked." Ouch!
However, Lovato continued to publicly support the concert via Twitter, so fans stopped pursuing what appeared to be unfounded speculations that she and Grande were at odds.
Then in July 2018, news broke out that Lovato was hospitalized due to a suspected overdose. Grande promptly tweeted in support of her friend, "I love u @ddlovato."
Meanwhile, Grande's mother, Joan, tweeted a lengthy message of support for Lovato, which said, "I am knocked down, over Demi, I hope and pray that she recovers quickly and finds sobriety again."
Joan Grande also spoke about female friendship in her message when she said of Lovato, writing, "She has always been so supportive of Ariana as well, sharing her experiences with the fame and celebrity and notoriety of growing up in a very public space. Women supporting women, what a fabulous idea!"
Demi Lovato treasures her friendship with Ariana Grande
In Demi Lovato's April 2020 interview with Harper's Bazaar, she explained how she ended her relationship with her longtime manager, Phil McIntyre, and instead signed on with "Scooter Braun, who has steered the careers of Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande."
This professional connection marks one more way Lovato is closely connected to Grande. In the interview, she said of their friendship, "I love the fact that Ariana and I have such a supportive friendship because it's hard to find. Two women who are in a competitive industry—the whole world seems to want to pit women against each other, so it would be so easy to do that."
Lovato continued on the topic of lasting female connections, "I always long for friendships with women. I think it's so sacred. And actually, late last year, the night of the winter solstice, I had about 16 girls [for a] group meditation, and we set our intentions for the new year." She added, "It was so beautiful, and that divine feminine energy is what has picked me up and carried me through some of my darkest times."
Although these singers are clearly doing well, the same can't be said for Demi Lovato's relationship with other Disney alums.