Demi Lovato Says She Felt a ‘Responsibility’ Not to ‘Sweep It Under the Rug’ When She Struggled With Eating Disorder

Demi Lovato is hoping that fans can learn from her struggles. In a raw interview with Las Culturistas hosts Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers posted Wednesday (Oct. 22), the star reflected on the choice to be transparent about their past experiences with eating disorders and substance abuse, despite the stigma surrounding them.

“I had a decision that had to be made when I had gone to treatment for the first time,” the singer began. “I had this very public outburst when I was 18 … and in that moment, my manager at the time asked me, like, ‘Do you want to be public with what you’re going through, or do you want to sweep it under the rug and not talk about it?’”

Despite the manager telling her, “You have a right to both” and “You don’t owe anybody anything,” Lovato decided to be open with fans. “I was like, ‘I didn’t have a role model at 13 that was speaking up about eating disorders, and I need to be that role model for someone else.’”

“It was this responsibility that I was willing to take on because I wish that I could have had that growing up,” Lovato added.

The Camp Rock alum has long been open about their past battles with self-harm, bulimia, substance abuse and bipolar disorder, delving into them in documentaries such as 2017’s Simply Complicated and 2021’s Dancing With the Devil. One pivotal incident occurred in 2010 when an 18-year-old Lovato punched backup dancer Alex Welch while on tour with the Jonas Brothers, after which the vocalist entered rehab to address “emotional and physical issues.”

“When you punch someone on a plane, enough is enough,” she recalled in a 2011 interview with Elle. “Right after, I texted my mom and just said, ‘I’m sorry.’”

Lovato is now doing better than ever, with the star gearing up to release new album It’s Not That Deep on Friday. The project was led by singles “Fast,” “Here All Night” and “Kiss.”

Listen to Lovato’s full guest episode of Las Culturistas below.