Demi Lovato appeared on the latest episode of the Baby, This Is Keke Palmer podcast, where she bonded with the host over their shared experiences of being in relationships with adult men as teenagers. “But then you look back in hindsight. When I turned 30, I was like, that’s not okay,” Lovato said.
Demi Lovato and Keke Palmer are reflecting on their teenage years with a new perspective.
Lovato, 33, joined the newest episode of Palmer’s podcast and connected with the 32-year-old host over the fact that both had dated adult men when they were still teens.
The conversation emerged as they revisited their pasts as child performers. “For me, I actually was like… I had this mantra that was like, ‘If you’re going to work me like an adult, I’m going to party like an adult.’ And I got into some bad stuff at a young age, and that’s when I started self‑medicating,” said Lovato, who has long been open about her history with substance abuse. “I wish that, you know, I had stayed more focused.” She added, “Obviously, I think the course of my life would have gone in a different direction—meaning I wouldn’t have maybe struggled as much with substances later on—but everything happens for a reason. I’m sitting here in this state of mind today, grateful for everything I’ve been through. It was really challenging. There wasn’t a lot of time for play, but when I did, I played pretty hard.”
Palmer then shifted to her own romantic past, saying, “I feel like people don’t understand that that’s what we was dealing with, you know? I found myself dating. I’m 15. Why is my boyfriend 20?”
Lovato responded, “Why was my boyfriend 30? You know what I’m saying?” Both women talked about realizing, later in life, how inappropriate those relationships were. “But then you look back in hindsight. When I turned 30, I was like, that’s not okay,” said Lovato, who released the 2023 song “29,” which includes lyrics about a past age‑gap relationship.
Palmer added, “Girl, the moment when you realize, and you get to the age of a lot of people that were around you and doing stuff, it’s almost a mental break that can happen because you realize you were taken advantage of. ‘Oh, I was being exploited.’ That was very difficult for me ’cause at 15 I’m thinking my boyfriend’s older because I’m doing an older job, and I’m doing a bunch of things, and this is the way that it is, and it seemed normal in my mind.” Lovato replied, “Especially if you’re an older soul, too. Especially if you’re mature for your age.”
Palmer then praised Hilary Duff’s recent single “Mature,” which also reflects on an inappropriate age‑gap relationship. “I love the Hilary Duff song that came out because it’s like, ‘Oh s—.’ We all had the same damn life,” said the Burbs star
