Demi Lovato Ends Long Feud With ‘Camp Rock’ Co-Star Alyson Stoner
The pair fell out after the production and live tour of “Camp Rock 2” amid Lovato’s teenage struggles with drug use and disordered eating.
Photo Illustration by Erin O’Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty Images and Disney
Demi Lovato has reconciled with her former Camp Rock cast member Alyson Stoner after a decade-long rift as the pair sat down for Lovato’s directorial debut and upcoming documentary on growing up famous, appropriately named Child Star.
According to Stoner, the co-stars went years without speaking after Lovato’s drug use and body image struggles drove a wedge between them during the production of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam and the subsequent live tour in 2010.
“There was definitely a lot of fear of a blowup,” Stoner said during their interview.
“It’s easy to excuse that behavior because I was so young and in so much pain,” Lovato added. “But I’m really remorseful, and that’s a guilt that stays with you forever.”
The Disney Channel stars met in 2008, Lovato was 15 and Stoner was 14, while filming the first Camp Rock movie with the Jonas Brothers.
As Lovato transitioned from the Disney realm to pop stardom, her substance abuse, bulimia and mental health struggles intensified. In 2018, after a near-fatal heroin overdose, she suffered brain damage, had three strokes, and a heart attack. The star was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
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Stoner, who uses they/them pronouns, says that before they agreed to participate in Lovato’s upcoming film, the former friends had to have a “healing” conversation.
Alyson Stoner smiles on the red carpet at the 2019 American Music Awards.
Danny Moloshok/REUTERS
Among Stoner’s concerns were that Lovato’s documentary would “fall under the umbrella of sensationalized E! True Hollywood Stories” that perpetuated what they called “the toddler-to-train wreck pipeline.”
Child Star, which premieres on Sept. 17 on Hulu, also includes interviews with JoJo Siwa, Drew Barrymore, Kenan Thompson, and Raven-Symoné.
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