Demi Lovato: Fellow Child Stars Told Me to Kill Myself

In a trailer for the Hulu documentary Child Star, Demi Lovato claimed that the “popular girls” drafted a petition “saying that I should kill myself” when she was a Disney Channel actor. Her directorial debut, the doc details Lovato’s experiences and those of other former child actors, featuring dark anecdotes from actors Drew Barrymore, Keenan Thompson, Jojo Siwa and others. Lovato was 7 years old when she started acting on Barney and Friends, and she has previously spoken about how this led to substance abuse issues and suicide attempts, with her overdosing in 2018 after taking fentanyl laced drugs. Barrymore has claimed on multiple occasions that she began using “substances” at 10 years old. During an episode of her Drew Barrymore Show, the actress shared that she celebrated her “10th birthday at Limelight,” the famed New York City nightclub. The doc airs on September 17.

If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.