Demi Lovato and Keke Palmer were both child stars, and on the new episode of Keke’s podcast Baby, this is Keke Palmer, she opens up about a past relationship that she felt was inappropriate due to the age difference between her and her boyfriend. Unfortunately, that’s something Keke had experience with, too.
Demi said being a child star was “challenging,” adding, “There wasn’t a lot of time for play, but when there was, I played pretty hard.” Keke nodded, and said, “I feel like people don’t understand, like, that’s what we was dealing with. You know, I found myself dating … I’m 15. Why is my boyfriend 20?”
To which Demi replied, “Um, why was my boyfriend 30?” To which a shocked Keke could only respond, “GIRL!!!!”
Both women agreed that at the time they felt, “Nobody our age could understand,” but Demi continued, “Then you look back in hindsight, when I turned 30, I was like, ‘That’s not okay."”
“You realize you were taken advantage of: ‘Oh, I was being exploited,"” Keke said. “Yes!” agreed Demi.
“At 15, I’m thinking, like, my boyfriend’s older because I’m doing an older job … and this is the way that it is and it seemed normal in my mind,” Keke continued, with Demi agreeing. Demi then added, “Especially if you’re an older soul, too. Especially if you’re mature for your age.”
The two then talked about loving the song “Mature” by fellow former child star Hilary Duff. “We all had the same damn life!” said Keke.
Demi also shared that she wrote a song about the experience, called “29.” She didn’t say who it was about, but Demi, 33, dated Wilmer Valderrama, 46, for six years before their 2016 breakup.
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