Early Life and Education of Demi Lovato: A Complete Timeline

Discover the defining moments in the early life of Demi Lovato. From birth to education, explore key events.

Demi Lovato is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She began her career on Barney & Friends before gaining wider recognition on the Disney Channel, particularly for her role as Mitchie Torres in the Camp Rock movies. Her debut single, "This Is Me," featuring Joe Jonas, achieved significant success, reaching number nine on the Billboard Hot 100.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

2009: Dating Trace Cyrus

In 2009, Demi Lovato briefly dated singer Trace Cyrus.

January 2010: Public-service announcement for Voto Latino

In January 2010, Demi Lovato was featured in a public-service announcement for Voto Latino to promote the organization's "Be Counted" campaign ahead of the 2010 United States census.

August 2010: Beginning of Relationship with Wilmer Valderrama

In August 2010, Demi Lovato began an on-again, off-again relationship with actor Wilmer Valderrama. They first started dating when Valderrama was 29 and Lovato was 18.

August 20, 2010: Purchase of Los Angeles Home

On August 20, 2010, her 18th birthday, Demi Lovato purchased a Mediterranean-style house in Los Angeles for her family.

October 2010: Spokesperson for PACER and appearance on America's Next Top Model

In October 2010, Demi Lovato served as spokesperson for the anti-bullying organization PACER and appeared on America's Next Top Model to speak out against bullying.

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November 1, 2010: Withdraws from tour and enters treatment

On November 1, 2010, Demi Lovato withdrew from the Jonas Brothers: Live in Concert tour, and entered a treatment facility for "physical and emotional issues" after punching a backup dancer.

January 2011: Living in Sober House

After leaving rehab in January 2011, Demi Lovato decided to live in a "sober house" in Los Angeles.

January 28, 2011: Completes in-patient treatment

On January 28, 2011, Demi Lovato completed in-patient treatment at Timberline Knolls, acknowledging struggles with bulimia, self-harm, and self-medication, also revealing being diagnosed with bipolar disorder during treatment.

April 2011: Becomes contributing editor for Seventeen magazine

In April 2011, Demi Lovato became a contributing editor for Seventeen magazine, writing an article about her struggles.

December 2011: Condemns Disney Channel for episodes joking about eating disorders

In December 2011, Demi Lovato condemned the Disney Channel for airing episodes of Shake It Up and So Random! that included characters joking about eating disorders, leading to the episodes being removed.

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2011: Initially accepts and shares bipolar diagnosis

In 2011, Demi Lovato said she had initially accepted her bipolar diagnosis and shared this because it explained her erratic behavior.

March 2012: Demi Lovato: Stay Strong documentary airs on MTV

In March 2012, MTV aired a documentary, Demi Lovato: Stay Strong, about her rehab and recovery journey.

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September 2012: Ambassador of Mean Stinks

In September 2012, Demi Lovato was named the ambassador of Mean Stinks, a campaign focused on eliminating bullying by girls.

January 2013: Living in a sober-living facility in Los Angeles

In January 2013, it was reported that Demi Lovato had been living in a sober-living facility in Los Angeles for over a year to avoid returning to her addiction and eating disorder.

June 2013: Celebrates appeal of the Defense of Marriage Act

In June 2013, Demi Lovato celebrated the appeal of the Defense of Marriage Act on social media.

August 2013: Traveled to Kenya for 21st birthday with Free the Children

In August 2013, Demi Lovato traveled to Kenya for her 21st birthday to participate in a program of the international charity organization Free the Children.

2015: Face of Human Rights Campaign's America's for Marriage Equality

In 2015, Demi Lovato became the face of Human Rights Campaign's America's for Marriage Equality.

June 2016: End of Relationship with Wilmer Valderrama

In June 2016, Demi Lovato and Wilmer Valderrama ended their on-again, off-again relationship.

June 2016: Participates in video honoring victims of Orlando nightclub shooting

In June 2016, Demi Lovato participated in a video released by the Human Rights Campaign honoring the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting.

June 2016: Signed open letter urging gun reform

In June 2016, Demi Lovato signed an open letter from Billboard urging gun reform.

September 2016: Purchase of Laurel Canyon Home

In September 2016, Demi Lovato purchased a Laurel Canyon home in Los Angeles for $8.3 million.

2016: Speech at Democratic National Convention focused on mental health

In 2016, Demi Lovato's speech at the Democratic National Convention focused on raising awareness for mental health.

January 2017: Returned to Kenya with We Movement

In January 2017, Demi Lovato returned to Kenya with We Movement to work with women and children.

March 15, 2017: Celebrates five years of sobriety

On March 15, 2017, Demi Lovato celebrated the five-year anniversary of her sobriety.

March 2017: Donated to charities specializing in animal, LGBT, and adoption rights

In March 2017, as a celebration of her five-year anniversary of sobriety, Demi Lovato donated money to Los Angeles-based charities specializing in animal, LGBT, and adoption rights.

May 2017: Partners with Fabletics for Girl Up campaign

In May 2017, Demi Lovato partnered with Fabletics to create a limited edition activewear collection for the United Nations Foundation's Girl Up campaign to fund programs for "the world's most marginalized adolescent girls".

August 2017: Donated to Hurricane Harvey relief

In August 2017, Demi Lovato donated $50000 to Hurricane Harvey relief and started fund with Nick Jonas, DNCE, and her then-manager Phil McIntyre.

2017: Reveals continued struggles with addiction in YouTube documentary

In her 2017 YouTube documentary Demi Lovato: Simply Complicated, Demi Lovato revealed that her treatment at Timberline Knolls had not been entirely successful, stating that she still struggled with alcoholism and a cocaine addiction in the year following her stint in the treatment center. She admitted that she was under the influence of cocaine while being interviewed about her sobriety for Demi Lovato: Stay Strong.

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March 2018: Performed at March for Our Lives anti-gun violence rally

In March 2018, Demi Lovato performed at the March for Our Lives anti-gun violence rally in Washington, D.C.

June 21, 2018: Releases the single "Sober"

On June 21, 2018, Demi Lovato released the single "Sober" in which she revealed she had relapsed after six years of sobriety.

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July 24, 2018: Rushed to hospital after opioid overdose

On July 24, 2018, Demi Lovato was rushed to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after emergency services were called to her home due to an opioid overdose. She overdosed on oxycodone laced with fentanyl and was revived with naloxone.

December 2018: Dismisses rumors regarding overdose and thanks fans on Twitter

In December 2018, Demi Lovato took to Twitter to dismiss rumors regarding her overdose and thank fans, stating that she would eventually share the full story when ready.

2018: Raped during drug overdose

In 2018, Demi Lovato stated she was raped during her drug overdose, realizing a month after the incident that she was not in a place to consent at that point.

2018: Bulimia contributed to drug overdose

In 2018, Demi Lovato's worsened struggles with bulimia contributed to her drug overdose as she relapsed three months prior due to being extremely unhappy. She attributed these struggles to the extreme measures that her then-manager took to control the food she ingested.

April 2020: Joins mental health campaign in support of Irish charity SpunOut.i.e.

In April 2020, Demi Lovato joined a mental health campaign in support of Irish charity SpunOut.i.e. to launch The Mental Health Fund which is raising money for mental health support.

May 2020: Condemned police brutality and supported Black Lives Matter

In May 2020, Demi Lovato condemned police brutality and the officers responsible for the murder of George Floyd and the shooting of Breonna Taylor. She shared resources to support the Black Lives Matter movement and black-owned businesses and denounced white privilege.

June 2020: Sale of Laurel Canyon Home

In June 2020, Demi Lovato sold her Laurel Canyon home in Los Angeles for $8.25 million.

July 2020: Labels self queer

In July 2020, Demi Lovato identified as queer in a social media post, mourning the death of her Glee co-star, Naya Rivera.

July 23, 2020: Engagement to Max Ehrich

On July 23, 2020, Demi Lovato announced her engagement to actor Max Ehrich. They had been dating for four months before calling off the engagement that September.

September 2020: Purchase of Studio City Home

In September 2020, Demi Lovato purchased a Studio City home in Los Angeles for $7 million.

2020: Appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show

In 2020, Demi Lovato appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and elaborated on how her worsened struggles with bulimia in 2018 contributed to her eventual drug overdose.

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2020: Comes out as non-binary to family and friends

Towards the end of 2020, Demi Lovato came out as non-binary to her family and friends.

March 2021: Comes out as pansexual and sexually fluid

In March 2021, Demi Lovato came out as pansexual and sexually fluid, expressing that she had always felt queer and fully embraced it, also stating that she was "just too queer" to date men at that time.

March 2021: States was not completely sober, drinks alcohol and smokes marijuana in moderation

In March 2021, Demi Lovato revealed that she was not completely sober; she drank alcohol and smoked marijuana in moderation.

2021: Reveals being raped at age 15 while on Disney Channel

In 2021, Demi Lovato revealed that she was raped at age 15 when she was an actor on the Disney Channel, and that the rapist was a co-star whom she had to continue seeing thereafter. The incident contributed to her bulimia and self-harm.

2021: Believes bipolar diagnosis was inaccurate, revised to ADHD

In 2021, Demi Lovato said she had come to believe that her bipolar diagnosis was inaccurate and that the diagnosis has been revised to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

April 2022: Changes pronouns to include she/her

In April 2022, Demi Lovato changed her pronouns to include she/her, describing herself as a "fluid person" who had started to feel "more feminine".

August 2022: Relationship with Jordan "Jutes" Lutes

In early August 2022, People reported that Demi Lovato was in a "happy and healthy relationship" with a male musician. On August 20, Canadian musician Jordan "Jutes" Lutes announced the relationship in an Instagram post marking Lovato's 30th birthday.

2022: Reveals using opiates from age 13

In a 2022 interview on the podcast Call Her Daddy, Demi Lovato revealed that she began using opiates at the age of 13 after a car accident and "was already drinking" by that time, leading to cocaine use at 17.

December 16, 2023: Engagement to Jordan "Jutes" Lutes

On December 16, 2023, Demi Lovato and Jordan "Jutes" Lutes announced their engagement.

September 26, 2024: Joined Gavin Newsom to sign child digital content creator protection bills

On September 26, 2024, Demi Lovato joined governor of California Gavin Newsom as he signed two bills into law that expand on the Coogan Law and offer new financial protections to child digital content creators. She described the legislation as "essentially the Coogan Law for the digital age".