Demi Lovato Says It Was ‘Challenging’ Growing Up on Disney Channel Alongside Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez

Looking Back Demi Lovato Says It Was ‘Challenging’ Growing Up on Disney Channel Alongside Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez The singer appeared on Keke Palmer's podcast to discuss her career and the difficulties of being a young star By Emily Zemler Emily Zemler View all posts by Emily Zemler March 4, 2026 Demi Lovato reflected on the hurdles of being a child star during an appearance on Keke Palmer ‘s podcast Baby, This Is Keke Palmer . During the interview, Lovato discussed spending her youth in the spotlight, being compared with fellow Disney Channel stars Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez , and feeling pressure to date older men. Palmer asked Lovato about being on a network that was “always pitting” its young stars against each other in an attempt to crown “the number one girl.” Palmer added, “That makes it hard to become friends with people that might relate to your experience.” “What was beautiful is that Selena and I had a friendship prior to Disney Channel because we actually were on Barney together, and so I felt this safety when I came into the Disney Channel having a built-in friendship there already,” Lovato replied. “I’m so grateful for that.” She continued, “But it was challenging when, you know, people are comparing you to one another. You naturally have insecurities at a young age, so you start comparing yourself to other people. But one thing my mom instilled in me was, ‘There’s room for everyone. It’s not a competition.’ And even though it can be competitive and if you have that mindset it definitely is competitive, my mom was just always like, ‘There’s room for everyone. You have your own voice, your own lane.’ And that’s what I really stuck by. That’s what kind of got me through that period. So I was always rooting for everybody.” Lovato explained that she now has mixed feelings about her time on the Disney Channel, which she joined in 2007 as part of As the Bell Rings . “There’s so many emotions that come to mind when I think about that period of time in my ...