Demi Lovato confronts her dark past in ‘Child Star’ documentary

In the recent Hulu documentary Child Star, co-directed by Lovato, the actress and singer opens up about the challenges of fame at a young age. ‘I never imagined it would have such a destructive impact on my mental health,’ Lovato confesses. ‘And, unfortunately, sometimes that manifested itself in explosive ways, like the incident where I hit my back-up dancer on a plane or during my heroin overdose’.

The episode she refers to occurred in 2010, while Demi was on tour with the Jonas Brothers. On board a plane, she assaulted her dancer, Alex Welch, which led to her entering rehab, a process documented in 2012’s Demi Lovato: Stay Strong. However, the spiral of self-destruction did not stop there. In 2018, her drug addiction reached a critical point when she overdosed on heroin laced with fentanyl. Lovato survived three strokes and a heart attack.

Child Star represents an act of redemption for Lovato. The project, she says, is an opportunity to apologise for the traces of her destructive behaviour. ‘Confronting people who knew me at that time was difficult because I felt the need to apologise. I wasn’t always the easiest person to work with, as I struggled intensely with my inner demons under overwhelming pressure’.

The documentary also features the voices of other child stars, such as Raven-Symoné and Alyson Stoner, who witnessed Lovato’s darkest moments in the industry. In addition to Lovato, Child Star, available now on Hulu, brings together iconic figures such as Drew Barrymore, JoJo Siwa, Kenan Thompson and Christina Ricci, all veterans of the complex journey of child fame.

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