Demi Lovato Defends ‘X Factor’ Bullying Allegations
Demi Lovato was brought to tears when a bullied girl auditioned on ‘The X Factor’ on Sept 12. A fierce anti-bully advocate, Demi speaks EXCLUSIVELY with HollywoodLife.com about those who accuse her show of being the bully!
Demi Lovato is no stranger to bullying and has spoken out many times against the hurtful act. The 20-year-old ‘X Factor’ judge is speaking out against critics who say the judges on her show are bullying innocent contestants!
On the season two premiere of The X Factor, Demi (and Simon Cowell!) were brought to tears by Jillian, a young lady who admitted she was bullied so bad she would cry herself to sleep.
Jillian swears it’s a coincidence, but she, like Demi, has a tattoo that says “Stay Strong.” She also reveals she got it for a similar reason — mainly, being bullied.
After Jillian’s emotional performance, Demi started crying and actually left her seat to go give her a hug on stage. “It’s ok. I know exactly what you’ve gone through but I’ve made it through it and I know you can to. You are so strong. That was amazing. Absolutely amazing,” Demi tells Jillian.
But during last night’s show, as Simon called one girl “annoying” and Britney Spears morphed into the new Queen of Mean, some have criticized the program and Demi for portraying conflicting messages.
Demi responded exclusively to HollywoodLife.com: “I think bullying is something that’s totally different than criticism. Bullying, I think, can be when you’re just … harsh really for no reason. I feel when you’re giving criticism, you’re only trying to help somebody with their performance or their voice or whatever. I think definitely there could be a fine line between some jokes, but for me, ultimately, I’m just having fun and trying to give them criticism.”
What do you think, HollywoodLifers?
— Reporting by Russ Weakland, Written by Dory Larrabee
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