Demi Lovato is set on not letting her future daughter (or son) enter the entertainment business until they are an adult.
In a new sitdown interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 31-year-old actress and singer is opening up about her life these days and what she is most looking forward to in her future — including the prospect of having children. The “Heart Attack” crooner is currently engaged to musician Jutes, who she began dating in August 2022.
Lovato — who began her own career on Barney & Friends at the age of 10 — tells the outlet that while she would want to support her child’s passion in any way that she can, she cannot bring herself to allow her own kid to follow in her footsteps, at least not before they turn 18.
“I’d say, ‘Let’s study music theory and prepare you for the day you turn 18, because it’s not happening before that,'” Lovato said when asked how she would handle her daughter asking her to enter the biz. “‘Not because I don’t believe in you or love you or want you to be happy, but because I want you to have a childhood, the childhood that I didn’t have.'”
Lovato continued, “‘And also, let’s come up with a backup plan,’ which is something I wish I’d done because sometimes I think it’s time for me to move on, but I’m in this weird position in my career because I still rely on music for my income.”
This certainly isn’t a new position for the GRAMMY-nominated singer, who has previously been open about the struggles she faced as a child actor. While Lovato got her start on PBS, she would go on to become a household name through her projects on Disney Channel, including roles in the Camp Rock films and Sonny with a Chance.
Similarly, other former Disney Channel stars including Miley Cyrus and Lovato’s longtime friend Selena Gomez have talked about the immense pressure to perform they experienced as teens while working for the company.
Around the time that she began dating her now-fiancé, Lovato chatted with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe about how her early start left her feeling without an identity of her own and why she struggles when it comes to child stars.
“In your teens, people who aren’t in the spotlight are still trying to figure themselves out,” she explained. “They’re going to parties. They’re making mistakes. And it’s like, if you’re a 15-year-old and you’re making mistakes, it’s magnified.”
Moreover, has said that being thrown into the spotlight at such a young age contributed to some of the struggles she has faced in the public eye. Lovato has been candid about her mental health, disordered eating and a years-long battle with substance abuse that led to a near-fatal overdose in 2018.
Last year, a source told ET that Lovato was making herself a priority and focusing on living a healthy lifestyle.
“Demi is doing great. She’s sober and living a very healthy lifestyle. She’s surrounding herself with like-minded people that want her to stay that way and continue to support her positive choices,” the source said.
They added, “Demi goes to therapy, works out, eats clean, and does things that make her happy. She hikes, writes music, and is very in tune with herself in general.”
Lovato is hardly the first former child star (or celebrity, in general) who has laid down the law when it comes to their kids acting or singing before they turn 18. Notably, Drew Barrymore — who started acting when she was 11 months old and comes from a long line of actors — has said she would not let her two daughters act until they are older.
Just recently, ET chatted with Freddie Prinze Jr. who shared that he and his wife of 22 years, Sarah Michelle Gellar, have decided to not let their children — Charlotte, 14, and Rocky, 11 — get into the biz before they are adults.
“She’ll be an adult by the time we allow her to do it,” he said of Charlotte expressing interest in trying her hand at the family craft. “I don’t believe in child actors even though my wife was one. I think it’s a really hard life.”
He continued, “I think you grow up way too quick, so when my kids – and I encourage them to do whatever they believe in — but before you pursue a profession, you’ll be 18. I want you to have an opportunity to be a kid first.”
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