Disney Criticized for Leaving Out Demi Lovato From Anniversary Post
Disney channel is facing backlash after not including Demi Lovato in a tweet for its 40-year anniversary. This comes after the star’s honesty regarding her treatment by the network.
Trigger warning: this article includes mention of eating disorders and rape.
To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Disney channel posted a compilation of several former stars performing “Wand IDs.” The montage included some of the most iconic celebrities to have graced the channel, such as Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, and the Jonas Brothers.
Would it even be a #DisneyChannel40 kick-off without a wand ID compilation 😍 pic.twitter.com/o7DipCHM3s
— Disney Channel (@DisneyChannel) April 1, 2023
People online, however, couldn’t help but notice that one of the network’s biggest stars, Demi Lovato, was not included. Lovato became a network staple in original series and films such as Sonny With A Chance and Camp Rock.
Lovato has been candid for many years regarding the struggles she faced during her time at Disney. These include struggles with eating disorders, drug addiction, and an alleged rape in the late 2000s.
The star released a docuseries, Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil, in 2021. There Lovato opened up about being raped by someone from the “Disney circle” as a teenager. Lovato did not disclose the assailant’s identity but shared that it was not someone in her immediate circle.
Just watched the Demi Lovato Documentaries. There are two Simply Complicated and Dancing with the Devil. Very brave. I wish she had got justice for the crimes that were done to her. Stay strong Demi.
— Janet Mennell (@RIPTVD4EVER) April 10, 2023
Lovato further opened up about her experiences on Disney during an appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast. Lovato spoke about being raped as a teenager and also her experience with body image. She revealed that her team strictly controlled what she ate. Her team allegedly wanted her to be “thin” while on Disney, leading the star to struggle with disordered eating and bulimia.
The star shared, “They didn’t let me have phones in my hotel room because they didn’t want me to call room service.” Lovato added, “They put furniture outside of my [hotel] door, so I couldn’t sneak out and eat if I wanted to. It was that level of controlling when it came to my food.”
These incidents and Lovato’s honesty regarding her experience while on Disney have led many online to believe that her omission from the montage was purposeful. This theory was furthered by the claim that replies under the montage post mentioning Lovato were hidden.
Not y’all leaving out Demi Lovato when they gave us Camp Rock, Sonny With A Chance and As The Bell Rings!!!!!!!! Make another compilation and DON’T FORGET them!!!!
— Cady Casellas ✡️🇨🇺🎙 (@CadyCasellas) April 6, 2023
Let’s be honest, you can hate Demi as much as you want, but y’all can’t deny she was a big part of their golden age. This was SO disrespectful
— almin.🔅 (@hbdyaok) April 6, 2023
Demi Lovato’s bravery in opening up about her struggles sets a great example for people everywhere. Hopefully, her omission from the montage was not as sinister as the theories online portray it to be.
Writer
