In her debut Billboard magazine cover story, Demi Lovato opened up about mental health and the struggle to stay sober as a recovering alcoholic, and how the stress of major public events can be especially triggering.
Lovato opened up about the particularly difficult time she had at the Met Gala in 2016 when a fellow celebrity acted a like a “complete bitch”—and fans speculate she was referring to Nicki Minaj.
“I had a terrible experience,” Lovato told Billboard. “This one celebrity was a complete bitch and was miserable to be around. It was very cliquey. I remember being so uncomfortable that I wanted to drink.”
Lovato texted her manager, then went straight to a 10 p.m. Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, still wearing millions of dollars worth of jewelry.
“And I related more to the homeless people in that meeting who struggled with the same struggles that I deal with than the people at the Met Gala—fake and sucking the fashion industry’s dick,” she said.
It didn’t take long for fans to recall drama that unfolded between Lovato and Minaj earlier that evening, when Minaj posted a photo on Instagram of her, a designer, and Lovato—but didn’t tag Lovato in the photo. Lovato then posted the same picture with a caption that said, “This picture pretty much sums up my first and probably last Met.”
She later added to the caption and said the post was just a joke.
“P.s. some of y’all need to learn how to take a joke,” she said. “I’m obviously laughing at the fact that 1. I look incredibly awkward and 2. That the shade being thrown in this picture actually gives me life.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BE9xrJdOKvU/?taken-by=ddlovato
Lovato also reenacted the thinking face emoji on Snapchat and included the caption: “When you aren’t mentioned in a post but didn’t do shit to the other person.”
Fans at the time may have believed that Lovato wasn’t bothered by Minaj’s snub, but now everyone isn’t as sure. Whether or not it’s even true, fans are already divided on Twitter on whether or not Lovato’s reaction was called for.
https://twitter.com/HolySelegend_/status/971785098331938816
https://twitter.com/ONIKAZAREEN/status/971838903144665093
https://twitter.com/EyesOnLovato/status/971786321994960896
https://twitter.com/kordeimaraj/status/971947838358867968
Lovato has yet to officially reveal the name of the celebrity that almost caused her to relapse, and neither her or Minaj have commented about the incident since 2016.
