Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez have known each other since they were young kids — they appeared on Barney together back in the day — and we’ve seen their friendship evolve over the years. But according to a new interview with Harper’s Bazaar US, that friendship isn’t much right now. In fact, it’s nothing at all.
You’ll remember, back in January, when Lovato performed for the first time since her 2018 overdose. She sang a powerful new ballad, “Anyone,” at the 2020 Grammys, and her performance was critically acclaimed. Not only did the Grammys audience give her a standing ovation, her old pal Gomez took to Instagram Stories and congratulated her.
“I wish there were words to describe how beautiful, inspirational and DESERVED this moment was. Demi I’m so happy for you. Thank you for your courage and bravery,” Gomez wrote.
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It was a nice sentiment, but according to Lovato’s new cover interview with Harper’s Bazaar, it came out of left field. “When you grow up with somebody, you’re always going to have love for them. But I’m not friends with her, so it felt…,” she told the magazine before reportedly stopping herself midthought. She finished by saying, “I will always have love for her, and I wish everybody nothing but the best.”
Lovato and Gomez have never really bad-mouthed each other in public, but their friendship has ebbed and flowed through the years. When asked about their relationship in 2014, for example, Lovato said, “I think it’s just one of those things where people change and people grow apart.”
And in 2017, Gomez left a comment on social media, congratulating Lovato on her YouTube documentary, Simply Complicated. “I’m so happy for you. You always continue to [be] bold and real. I wish more people were like you. Love you,” she wrote.
But to put Lovato’s Bazaar quote into perspective: Just because she and Gomez aren’t currently friends doesn’t mean there’s any bad blood. This is how life works, people. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who has the exact same best friends at 27 as they did at 17.
Read Lovato’s full interview with Harper’s Bazaar here.