Demi Lovato Reflects on Teenage Relationship With Much Older Boyfriend Wilmer Valderrama [WATCH]

Singer and actress Demi Lovato is revisiting her early years in Hollywood and speaking candidly about a past relationship with a significantly older partner when she was still a teenager, as reported by Fox News.

Lovato discussed the experience during a recent appearance on Keke Palmer’s podcast, where the two entertainers talked about growing up in the entertainment industry and the challenges that can come with starting careers at a young age.

The former Disney Channel star reflected on a relationship she had as a teenager with a man who was more than a decade older.

In a new interview, Demi Lovato reflected on her age gap relationship with Wilmer Valderrama. Demi was 18 and Wilmer was 30 when they started dating.

Demi stated:

“But then you look back in hindsight, when I turned 30 I was like, ‘That’s not OK’” pic.twitter.com/yXrA3Sq7Sw

— MR. POP (@MrPopOfficial) March 4, 2026

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Looking back on the situation now, Lovato said the dynamic raised concerns when she considered it from the perspective of adulthood.

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“I’m sitting here in this state of mind today, grateful for everything that 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,” Lovato said on Keke Palmer’s podcast.

The conversation turned to the subject of age gaps in Hollywood relationships. Palmer recalled her own experiences dating older men while she was still a teenager.

“I found myself dating — I’m 15, why is my boyfriend 20?” Palmer said.

Lovato responded by pointing to a similar situation in her own life.

“Why was my boyfriend 30? You know what I’m saying?” Lovato said.

Lovato also noted how difficult it can be for young people to understand those dynamics at the time.

“Nobody our age could understand,” Lovato said.

“But then you look back in hindsight. When I turned 30, I was like, that’s not OK.”

Palmer elaborated further on how young performers can struggle to process those relationships when they are in the middle of them.

“Girl, the moment when you realize, and you get 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, because at 15, I’m thinking, ‘my boyfriend’s older because I’m doing an older job. I’m doing a bunch of things, and this is just the way it is.’ It seemed normal in my mind,” Palmer said.

Lovato replied, “Especially if you’re an older soul, too. Especially if you’re mature for your age.”

Lovato has also addressed the subject through her music. She referenced her song “29,” which many listeners interpreted as reflecting on her earlier relationship.

“I also wrote a song about that. It’s called ‘29’ … When you listen to it, I think you’ll be able to relate to it,” Lovato said.

When the song was released, many fans believed the lyrics referred to her relationship with actor Wilmer Valderrama, known for his role on the television series “That ’70s Show.”

In the song, Lovato sings: “Just five years of bleeders, student and a teacher / Far from innocent / What the f—’s consent? / Numbers told you not to / But that didn’t stop you.”

Lovato and Valderrama first met when she was 17 years old, and he was 29. The couple dated from 2010 until 2016.

Lovato previously spoke about how they met in her 2017 documentary “Simply Complicated.”

“When I first met Wilmer, he was 29,” she said in the film. “I met him on Jan. 11 of 2010, and it was at a PSA shoot at his house for the 2010 census forms.”

Lovato said she initially agreed to participate in the public service announcement after learning it would take place at Valderrama’s home.

She explained that she thought he was “really cute” and wanted the opportunity to meet him.

“I met him, and I laid eyes on him for the first time. I was in hair and makeup, and he came in and sat down, and I was like ‘I love this man’ and ‘I have to have him,’” Lovato said.

“But I was only 17, so he was like, ‘Get away from me.’ After I turned 18, we began dating.”

Lovato has since moved forward in her personal life. She married musician Jutes, 34, in May during a ceremony in California.

Valderrama currently stars on the television series “NCIS” and previously voiced a character in the animated film “Encanto.” He is engaged to Amanda Pacheco, and the couple shares two children.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Lovato for comment.

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