Demi Lovato Opens Up About Disney Channel Struggles: ‘I Was So Miserable in My Own Skin’

Demi Lovato is getting candid about the challenges she faced as a young Disney Channel star, and the version of herself she barely recognizes. In a revealing interview on Keke Palmer’s podcast Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, the 33-year-old singer and actress reflected on the “challenging” years she spent in the spotlight as a teenager, grappling with eating disorders, mental health battles, and the pressure of constant comparisons to her peers.

“There are so many emotions that come to mind when I think about that period of time in my life,” Lovato told Palmer on the March 3 episode. “I have a lot of compassion for my younger self, because we were held to such high standards at such a young age”.

Lovato rose to fame alongside Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus during the late 2000s and early 2010s, when all three were among the Disney Channel’s biggest stars. But with that success came inevitable comparisons from the public and media.

“It was challenging when people are comparing you to one another, and you naturally have insecurities at a young age,” Lovato admitted. “So, you start comparing yourself to other people”.

However, Lovato credits her mother with helping her navigate those feelings. “One thing my mom instilled in me was, ‘There’s room for everyone. It’s not a competition.’ That’s what I really stuck by. That’s what kind of got me through that period. I was always rooting for everybody”.

What made the transition to Disney easier was a familiar face: Lovato and Gomez had been friends long before their Disney days, having met on the set of Barney & Friends as children. “I felt this safety when I came into the Disney Channel, having a built-in friendship there already,” Lovato shared. “I’ll always be grateful for the friendship I have and continue to have with her”.

Lovato also addressed her behavior on set during those years, revealing that she wasn’t always easy to work with, and that she’s since made amends.

“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,'” she said.

Reflecting on her mindset at 16 or 17, Lovato explained that her defensiveness came from a place of pain. “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'”.

“I just wanted so badly for someone to see that I was struggling,” she continued. “When I showed up and was bratty on set, that was not my intention. I was just doing what I had to do to survive”.

Palmer, herself a former child star, validated Lovato’s experience, noting that the steps they took as young performers were often about survival.

Lovato has been open for years about her battles with addiction, mental health, and eating disorders during her Disney tenure. In her recent interview, she reiterated those challenges.

“I struggled with an eating disorder while on camera was really challenging. I struggled with my mental health very much so,” she said.

Her decision to speak publicly about her struggle’s dates back to her first stint in rehab in 2010, when she was given a choice by her manager: keep it private or use her platform to help others. She chose the latter. “It was this responsibility that I was willing to take on because I wish that I could have had that growing up,” she later explained. “That’s kind of the catalyst for why I’ve been open about all of my struggles”.

Despite the difficulties, Lovato emphasized that she looks back on her Disney years 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. But ultimately, very fond memories. I made friends that I will have for the rest of my life”.

Her friendship with Gomez remains intact, with Lovato praising Gomez and her husband Benny Blanco’s album I Said I Love You First in September 2025, calling it “really, really great”.

Now, Lovato is using her experience to guide the next generation. As an executive producer on the upcoming Camp Rock 3, she recently revealed that she gave the new cast a “pep talk” about prioritizing their well-being.

“I gave them some advice. I was just like, ‘Hey guys, don’t be afraid to ask for time off, like take care of yourself first,'” she shared. “It’s really important that you take care of your mental health, so that you can do the other things that you want to do like performing and acting. But if you don’t have your mental health or if you get burnt out, that can all go away”.

Lovato’s upcoming cookbook, ONE PLATE AT A TIME: Recipes for Finding Freedom with Food, is set for release on March 31, continuing her journey of healing and helping others.