They had one of the best friendships in show business. Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato have been BFFs since they starred on Barney and Friends together, but like many friendships, it’s had its ups and downs that were known to the public eye.
So much happened behind the scenes in their friendship, but it seems like things have fizzled out between the two of them. “Selena has always tried to be nice to Demi, but over the last couple of years especially, the both of them have been through personal struggles,” a source told UsWeekly. “In the past, Demi felt like Selena wasn’t always there for her and that the friendship wasn’t reciprocated.”
What happened between Demi Lovato & Selena Gomez?
The big mystery is what actually caused the split in their friendship. Here’s a deep dive into their relationship of over 20 years.
2002: Selena and Demi star in Barney & Friends together
Image Credit: Hit Entertainment. Courtesy: Everett Collection Selena and Demi became friends on the set of the show Barney and Friends when they were 10 years old.
“I particularly remember Selena and Demi because they were really cute and very motivated,” Director Fred Holmes told International Business Times. “And the challenge with kids that age, especially boys, is finding kids that can stand up to the rigors of television. It’s a tough thing to do. They had to have a level of maturity that most kids that age didn’t have. And they were both great.”
2008: Demi & Selena film vlogs together on YouTube
Demi and Selena revealed that they were filming a movie together in Puerto Rico in a vlog that they posted on Demi’s YouTube channel.
“This is my best friend in the entire world,” Demi introduced each other in the first video. Selena continued, “And this is my best friend ever since we were 7 years old.”
When a fan asked them what they love about being best friends, Selena answered “I think really what makes her a true friend for me is just that she’s honest with me, and she’s always there for me, no matter if it’s 3 in the morning, even if we’re not saying anything on the phone, just to talk to her and tell her absolutely anything. And she’s got the biggest heart ever.”
“So do you!” Lovato responded.
2009: Selena & Demi star in Princess Protection Program
Image Credit: George Pimentel/WireImage Demi and Selena star in the Disney Channel Original Movie Princess Protection Program. Demi stars as Princess Rosalinda who gets placed in the Princess Protection Program and tries to befriend Carter, played by Selena.
In a press run, Demi and Selena did joint interviews together. They said they loved to do “everything” together in an interview with People. “We enjoy doing everything together. But our favorite is to just chill at each other’s houses,” Selena said. Demi shared the same sentiment, “Definitely. We love watching movies too. Like on Halloween we watched so many scary movies together. It was awesome.”
2010: Demi Lovato shades Selena’s friendship with Taylor Swift
When she was signing autographs, Demi seemed to have tension with Selena after she hung out with Taylor Swift. Demi was asked how Selena was, and she responded, “Ask Taylor!” She and the “Love Story” singer have a mutual ex Joe Jonas, while Selena dated Nick Jonas at the time.
2010: Demi gives an update on their friendship status with Selena
In an interview with Girls Life magazine, Demi dropped a status update on where she stood with Selena amid their so-called feud. “We’re both busy, and I wish the best for her. 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.”
2010: Demi checks into rehab & Selena was the first person to reach out
Image Credit: Mark Davis/Getty Images In 2010, Demi Lovato checked into rehab for an eating disorder and self-harm. In a 2014 interview, she revealed that Selena was one of the first people to reach out to her. “Selena called me crying when I was in there,” she told Televisionnetmusic. “She was just so worried. And I was like, ‘Look, I should be the one crying. It’s all good.’ She was so worried, and ever since then we’ve gotten closer.
In an interview with Seventeen, Selena expressed regret about how she handled the situation. “I’ve known her since we were 7, and we did fall apart for a while,” she said. “She was going through things and I was so young and it was confusing. I processed it saying, ‘OK, I don’t understand what she’s going through so I’m just going to do this.’ I don’t think it was fair, and I’m so happy that I have her back in my life now.”
2013: Demi expresses support for Selena’s single “Come & Get It”
Demi Lovato broke her silence with her friendship with Selena and supported her single at the time “Come & Get It.” She tweeted, “Umm.. obsessed with Come & Get It @selenagomez So happy for you lady. 😊💕 #LiterallyOnRepeat!!!” Selena responded with “:)” and a screenshot of Demi’s song “Heart Attack.”
2013: Demi says that she and Selena “grew apart”
Image Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images In her Live from MTV special, Demi opened up about where she and Selena stood at the time. “We’ve been through a lot together, we’ve had periods of times where we grew apart and we just didn’t really talk,” she said.
“Now we are in a place where I think we realized that life is so short and that when you have people in your life that love you so much then, you should just always be around them,” she continued. “She’s going to be a big sister, and I want to be around for that. Everything about her, she has a great soul, she’s talented, she’s beautiful, and she will always be really, really close to my heart.”
2013: Demi unfollows Selena on Twitter
Watch What Happens Live! Andy Cohen put Demi Lovato on the hot seat when he asked why she unfollowed Selena on social media. She responded, “I think it’s just one of those things where people change and people grow apart.”
August 2015: Selena posts a happy birthday message to Demi
Demi posted on Twitter, “IM so grateful you were born. #nomatterwhat #forever #haveTHEbestbday 💜.” While Demi responded, “I’m glad you were born too… 😝 #nomatterwhat #forever 💗💗💗.”
September 2015: Demi posts a picture with Selena
In a rare Instagram picture, Demi posted a silly photo with her best friend. ““Look at how #coolforthesummer we are,” she captioned her picture. “Friends for years, #sameoldlove.”
September 2015: Selena says Demi is “like family.”
Selena opens up that Demi was like family. “I love her. She’s like family at this point. It’s nice to be able to see people that you grew up with succeed. I mean I love that. She gets it,” she told Entertainment Tonight.
July 2017: Demi and Selena share love on Twitter
Demi expressed support for Selena’s song “Fetish” on Twitter. “Loving your new song Fetish, we’ve come a long way since our Barney days 😝💗” she posted. Selena responded, “Yes we have 😊 -just listening to Sorry Not Sorry! You slay as always. So happy for you!”
October 2017: Selena supports Demi’s documentary
Image Credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images In 2017, Demi released her documentary “Simply Complicated” on YouTube and Selena ulimately supported her friends journey. “This was beautiful,” Gomez wrote a comment in Demi’s now deleted Instagram post. “I’m so happy for you. You always continue to be bold and real. I wish more people were like you.”
“@selenagomez thank you so much, this means the world to me and more. Love you too,” accompanied by prayer-hands and heart emojis.
October 2017: Selena & Demi attend the InStyle Awards together
Image Credit: Donato Sardella/Getty Images for InStyle Demi and Selena reunited for the first time in a while at the InStyle Awards in 2017.
January 2018: Selena unfollows Demi Lovato on Instagram
Selena went on an unfollowing spree where she unfollowed 279 Instagram accounts—Demi included. However, she still followed her friends Amy Schumer, Taylor Swift, and Francia Raisa.
July 2018: Selena comments on Demi’s overdose
Demi Lovato overdosed in 2018 and was rushed to the hospital. Selena, who was choked up in her interview with Elle, said about her friend, “All I’m saying is, I reached out personally. I didn’t do a public thing. I didn’t want to. I…I love her. I’ve known her since I was seven. So…it’s…that’s what I’ll say.”
November 2018: Demi unfollows Selena on Instagram
Demi, herself, went on an unfollowing spree and Selena was involved as well. A source told Entertainmetn Tonight that she wanted to “focus on herself” and “avoid any difficult relationships.” The source continued, “She needs to surround herself with those that support her goals and to stay away from any negativity.”
“Demi has come a very long way,” the source added. “She’s grown emotionally and matured a great deal through this process. She realizes there is no quick fix and has accepted the fact she needs to take this one day at a time. She still has a sober companion and she has built a very strong support group.”
February 2020: Selena supports Demi in her monumental performance after her overdose
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy Demi performed her song “Anyone” at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards after a long hiatus after her recovery. Selena went on her Instagram stories to say how proud she was of her on-and-off friend. “I wish there were words to describe how beautiful, inspirational, and DESERVED this moment was. Demi I’m so happy for you. Thank you for your courage and bravery,” she wrote.
April 2020: Demi Lovato updates where she stands with Selena Gomez
In a Harper’s Bazaar cover story, Demi opens up that she’s not close with Selena anymore. “When you grow up with somebody, you’re always going to have love for them,” they said. “But I’m not friends with her, so it felt …” Lovato stops herself. “I will always have love for her, and I wish everybody nothing but the best.”
April 2020: Demi Lovato is accused of making anti-Selena posts on alleged Finsta account
Fans claimed that Demi Lovato was posting anti-Selena Gomez posts on her fake Instagram account. However, her management team and other fans said that “several fake and doctored posts” were circulating online. “It’s unfortunate that people are finding time to attack others when the world has far bigger issues to focus on at the moment,” the source told Business Insider.
September 2020: Selena calls Demi one of the best lyricist in her generation
In a Youtube ad, Selena listed down some of her friends as some of her music inspirations. “I think we have some of the best lyricists in the game right now,” she said listing Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift, and of course Demi Lovato. “These artists are just lifting up the game with these lyrics. It makes me so happy. It’s just that one line that gets you in a song, where you’re like, ‘Ooh! Wait, I gotta write that down.’”
June 2022: Selena reminisces on meeting Demi for the first time
In The Hollywood Reporter‘s Awards Chatter podcast, Selena Gomez remembered how she got her Barney role and encountered Demi for the first time. “The wildest part of that story is that she was actually the girl standing in front of me,” Gomez said of her audition process. “I remember she had a red bow on, I’ll never forget it…I just thought the world of her. And we both ended up, after we got the part, we didn’t know if the other one did. And we just had this, like, mini reunion when we saw each other.”
September 2023: Selena Ignores Demi’s VMAs performance
In footage captured by Variety’s Editor-in-Chief Ramin Satoodeh, Selena was taking pictures of herself during Demi’s performance at the VMAs. “Selena Gomez was the only person who wasn’t cheering — as she posed for a photographer — during that Demi Lovato performance at the #VMAs.”
September 2024: Demi releases her documentary Child Star that references Selena
Image Credit: Disney/Victoria Time In September 2024, Demi released her Hulu documentary Child Star alongside co-director Nicola Marsh. Child Star focuseson Lovato’s life as a child star and how much being a child star demands from a normal childhood. “While [Child Star is] a cautionary tale to some degree, it’s also a form of self-exploration,” Lovato tells Teen Vogue. “Would things have turned out differently had I not been in the public eye? I don’t know. And that’s what I’m still learning.”
During some of the scenes in the documentary, there are photos of Demi and Selena hanging out together as well as clips from episodes of Wizards of Waverly Place. The Sonny With a Chance actor didn’t mention their friendship in the documentary.
