- Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez's friendship dates back to when they both appeared on "Barney and Friends" in 2002.
- Once inseparable, their relationship has faced ups and downs as both of their careers have progressed.
- Although they've shown support for each other in recent years, Lovato confirmed that they're "not friends" in an April 2020 interview with Harper's Bazaar.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
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Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez have been linked for 18 years; their friendship spans back to when they both landed their first roles on "Barney and Friends."
In their childhood and adolescence, the duo was inseparable. They supported each other as Disney Channel stars, costarred in a Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) together, and promoted each other's burgeoning music careers. But as their careers progressed, their relationship hasn't been completely straightforward.
They've exchanged public messages applauding each other's success in recent years, however Lovato confirmed that they're "not friends" in a Harper's Bazaar interview in April 2020.
From their "Barney" days to today, here's everything we know about Gomez and Lovato's complicated friendship.
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2002: Lovato and Gomez became friends when they appeared on "Barney and Friends" together.
They both appeared on "Barney and Friends" from 2002 to 2004. Gomez was cast as Gianna on the show, and Lovato played Angela.
In a 2017 interview with International Business Times, Fred Holmes, the show's director at the time, described the early bond between the girls, who he recalled always "laughing together hysterically" on set.
"Very early on, you could just tell, they clicked," he said, adding, "Certain kids got along with other kids and they were just two of those that really clicked. They were pretty inseparable and ate lunch together and all those types of things."
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2008: They began filming vlogs together and uploading them to YouTube.
As both of their acting careers took off — Gomez on Disney Channel's "Wizards of Waverly Place" and Lovato on the Disney movie "Camp Rock" — they began filming YouTube videos together. In the first video, they announced that they were costarring in the Disney Channel original movie "Princess Protection Program."
"This is my best friend in the entire world," Lovato said in the first video, and Gomez answered, "And this is my best friend ever since we were 7 years old."
In later videos, they showed off their friendship handshake and answered fans' questions.
After reading a fan's question asking what makes them best friends, Gomez replied, "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.
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May 2009: Lovato and Gomez teamed up to film "Princess Protection Program."
The pair traveled to Puerto Rico to shoot the movie together. Lovato was cast as Rosalinda, a princess who disguises herself as a regular American teen, and Gomez took on the role of Carter, a tomboy tasked with trying to help Rosalinda blend in.
The film premiered on Disney Channel in May 2009 and won choice summer TV movie at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards. Both actresses were nominated for choice female summer TV stars at the ceremony, and Gomez won for her performance in "Princess Protection Program" and on "Wizards of Waverly Place."
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July 2009: The actresses said that they "enjoy doing everything together."
Gomez and Lovato did a joint interview for People and opened up about their friendship.
"We enjoy doing everything together. But our favorite is to just chill at each other's houses," Gomez said.
During the interview, they also gushed about their favorite song, "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson, and talked about their celebrity crushes.
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January 2010: A fan asked Lovato how Gomez was doing, and she replied, "Ask Taylor" in reference to Taylor Swift.
While signing autographs in London, a fan asked Lovato how Gomez was doing.
"Ask Taylor," she replied, referring to pop star Taylor Swift, who Gomez formed a close friendship with after they both dated brothers Nick Jonas and Joe Jonas, respectively.
After both relationships ended, Swift and Gomez remained friends. In 2009, Gomez told Seventeen, "Every single problem I ever have is healable by Taylor Swift."
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June 2010: Lovato said that she and Gomez were "both busy" and hinted at a fracture in the friendship.
When asked about her friendship with Gomez during an interview with Girls' Life, Lovato said, "We're both busy, and I wish the best for her."
Seemingly directed toward Gomez's friendship with Swift, Lovato added, "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."
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April 2013: They showed love for each other's music on Twitter.
"Umm.. obsessed with Come & Get It - @selenagomez. So happy for you lady," Lovato tweeted along with a hashtag that said, "#LiterallyOnRepeat."
Gomez responded with a screenshot of the cover of Lovato's single "Heart Attack" and a smiley face.
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May 2013: Lovato said that she and Gomez didn't talk every day but were on good terms.
"We've been through a lot together, we've had periods of times where we grew apart and we just didn't really talk," Lovato said during her "Live from MTV" special, adding that they didn't talk every day but do keep in touch.
"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 said.
Lovato added, "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."
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June 2013: Lovato said that Gomez contacted her after she checked into rehab in 2010.
In 2010, Lovato checked into rehab for disordered eating and struggles with self-harm, according to People. During a 2013 interview with TelevisionetMusic, she revealed that she reconnected with Gomez after she called to check on her.
"Selena called me crying when I was in there. 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," Lovato said.
In a 2014 interview with Seventeen Magazine, Gomez admitted that she regretted how she acted while Lovato was struggling in 2010.
"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,'" she said, adding, "I don't think it was fair."
Gomez also said that she was "so happy" to have Lovato back in her life.
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August 2014: Lovato unfollowed Gomez on Twitter.
On an episode of Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live," Andy Cohen asked Lovato why she unfollowed Gomez on social media.
She replied, "I think it's just one of those things where people change and people grow apart."
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August 2015: Gomez wished Lovato a happy birthday over Twitter, and the "Really Don't Care" singer wrote a friendly message back.
"IM so grateful you were born," Gomez tweeted along with the hashtags "#nomatterwhat," "#forever," and "#haveTHEbestbday."
Lovato responded, "I'm glad you were born too..." adding the hashtags "#nomatterwhat" and "#forever."
September 2015: Lovato posted a selfie with Gomez on Instagram.
"Look at how #coolforthesummer we are," Lovato captioned the since-deleted photo, adding, "Friends for years."
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September 2015: Gomez said that Lovato was like "family at this point."
"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," Gomez said during an interview with "Entertainment Tonight."
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July 2017: They tweeted about how impressed they were by each other's music.
"Loving your new song Fetish, we've come a long way since our Barney days," Lovato wrote.
"Yes we have," Gomez responded, adding, "Just listening to Sorry Not Sorry! You slay as always. So happy for you!"
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October 2017: Gomez praised Lovato's documentary "Simply Complicated."
Lovato released the documentary "Simply Complicated" in 2017, which provided a look into her personal life and career.
"This was beautiful. I'm so happy for you. You always continue to be bold and real. I wish more people were like you. Love you," Gomez commented on Lovato's since-deleted Instagram post about the documentary.
The "Cool for the Summer" singer responded, "Thank you so much, this means the world to me and more. Love you too."
October 2017: They reunited at the InStyle Awards in Los Angeles.
Gomez and Lovato made a rare public appearance together and posed for photos at the InStyle Awards in Los Angeles, showing that they were on good terms.
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January 2018: Gomez unfollowed 279 people on Instagram, including Lovato.
The "Boyfriend" singer unfollowed 279 Instagram users, meaning only 37 accounts remained on her timeline.
While Gomez still followed people like Swift, Amy Schumer, and longtime friend Francia Raisa, her childhood best friend Lovato didn't make the list.
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September 2018: After Lovato overdosed in July, Gomez commented on the situation during an interview.
In July 2018, Lovato was hospitalized in Los Angeles after suffering an overdose.
Months later, Gomez briefly addressed the singer's condition during an interview with Elle.
"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 7. So…it's…that's what I'll say," the "Same Old Love" singer said.
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November 2018: Lovato unfollowed Gomez on Instagram, and a source said she wants to "avoid any difficult relationships."
A source told Entertainment Tonight that Lovato wants to "focus on herself" and "avoid any difficult relationships."
The source added, "She needs to surround herself with those that support her goals and to stay away from any negativity."
Lovato also unfollowed her "Camp Rock" costar Nick Jonas and rapper Iggy Azalea.
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January 2020: Gomez congratulated Lovato on her performance at the 2020 Grammy Awards.
Lovato sang "Anyone" at the 2020 Grammy Awards in her first performance since her nearly-fatal 2018 overdose.
After viewing the performance, Gomez posted a photo of Lovato singing and raved about her performance.
"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," Gomez wrote.
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April 2020: Lovato said that she's "not friends" with Gomez.
During an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Lovato addressed Gomez's public comment about her Grammy Awards performance.
"When you grow up with somebody, you're always going to have love for them. But I'm not friends with her, so it felt…" Lovato said before pausing. She continued, "I will always have love for her, and I wish everybody nothing but the best."
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April 2020: Fans believed that Lovato had a fake Instagram account to bash Gomez.
Fans accused Lovato of having a private Instagram account called "traumaqueen4eva" that appeared to be full of anti-Gomez content. They suspected that the account was run by Lovato after she went on Instagram Live from the handle.
As people began sharing screenshots of Lovato broadcasting from the account, the hashtag "#DemiLovatoIsOverParty" began trending on Twitter. However, some users claimed that the anti-Gomez images were edited to make it look like Lovato was bashing Gomez.
A source close to the "Heart Attack" singer told Insider that the singer's team insists the claims are false, adding that there are "several fake and doctored posts" 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 Insider.
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April 2020: A source told Us Weekly that "there is no animosity between them."
"Demi has no beef with Selena and there is no animosity between them. They're just not friends at this point," the source told Us Weekly.
The source added, "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. In the past, Demi felt like Selena wasn't always there for her and that the friendship wasn't reciprocated."
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September 12, 2020: Fans circulated purported screenshots of Max Ehrich, Lovato's then-fiancé, professing his love for Gomez via social media.
Online users began questioning Ehrich's intentions after they shared what they claimed to be screenshots of the actor's old social media posts about Gomez.
According to the screenshots, Ehrich asked Gomez to marry him in the comments on her Instagram Live and admitted to having a "major crush" on her in a different video.
In a separate set of posts that fans claimed he wrote, Ehrich appeared to directly compare Gomez to Lovato.
The "Sorry Not Sorry" singer defended Ehrich and called the images "fake" and "doctored."
And while Lovato stood by her fiancé amid the controversy, a source told E! News that the singer was "really upset" about the posts.
Roughly a week later, Lovato and Ehrich called off their two-month engagement.
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September 30, 2020: Gomez said Lovato is one of "the best lyricists in the game right now."
Gomez chatted about some of her favorite musical artists in a video advertisem*nt for YouTube Music and named Lovato as one of the "best lyricists" in the industry.
"I think we have some of the best lyricists in the game right now," she said, continuing to list Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, and Lovato as examples.
Gomez added, "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.'"
Read next
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I've had a fair bit of experience and knowledge about the dynamics of friendships in the entertainment industry, particularly concerning celebrities like Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez. There's often a public spotlight on their relationships, and I've kept up with the developments in their friendship over the years.
The article highlights the complex and evolving friendship between Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez, tracing it back to their early days on "Barney and Friends." They shared a close bond, appearing in joint projects, supporting each other's careers, and expressing affection publicly. However, their friendship faced challenges as their careers progressed, leading to periods of distance and public statements indicating a shift in their relationship dynamics.
From their early collaborations on Disney projects like "Princess Protection Program" to their social media interactions, public interviews, instances of unfollowing each other on social platforms, expressions of support during personal struggles, and even alleged controversies involving social media accounts, the article covers the breadth of their friendship's timeline, highlighting both positive and strained moments.
If you have any specific questions or want deeper insights into any particular aspect of their friendship or the dynamics within the entertainment industry, I'd be happy to provide more information!
