Demi Lovato Paid the Price of Early Fame

AND LIVED TO TELL THE TALE –

Sept. 12, 2024 – Lovato has consistently bared their soul for the world to see, often inviting us in to learn from their stumbles and mistakes through candid talk about sobriety and relapse, and through numerous documentaries, including a 2021 docuseries about their substance use and eventual overdose. Now they are about to do it again. Lovato slides a carrot across a mandolin to slice it into crisp pieces. It’s early August, and we’re just over a month out from the release of her upcoming documentary, Child Star, which premieres on September 17 on Hulu. The film, Lovato’s directorial debut, is an exploration of two competing forces: the misery that seems to be inherent in being a child star and the intense ambition that has kept Lovato and others pursuing accolade after accolade. Moments in the film feel achingly personal, such as when Lovato asks other former child stars like Drew Barrymore and Christina Ricci if they, too, struggled with the price of fame, and if it affected them as deeply as it did her. (The resounding answer seems to be yes and yes.)