The phrase “cancel culture” might just be one of the few that defines the age in which we live. Especially now, people are at home, where they have only the comfort of their screens and the internet to get them through days of quarantine. Internet sleuths who might have already spent much of their time digging up gossip on celebrities now have even more time on their hands. Last week, when someone found Demi Lovato’s alleged fake Instagram account (or finsta, as the kids call it), the hashtag “#DemiIsOverParty” started going around.
In an interview with The Good Place actress Jameela Jamil, on her podcast, “I Weigh,” Lovato told Jamil that she’s over cancel culture. In other words, it’s canceled.
“I’ve been canceled so many times that I can’t even count,” Lovato said. “The hashtag, #DemiIsOverParty, that whole thing it’s just, like, it doesn’t even affect me anymore.” She continued: “I don’t think that anybody was ever officially canceled,” she explained. “Otherwise certain people wouldn’t have Grammys today, certain people wouldn’t have Oscars, and certain people wouldn’t be where they are in their positions.”
Lovato said that she would like to switch out cancel culture for something called “forgiveness culture.” This would involve a public person apologizing for what they might have done so they can be a good role model for others.
There are exception to this rule, Lovato added: “If you have used up your second and third chances with a certain topic, you’re canceled and you should stay canceled.”
Lovato didn’t say anything else about the finsta drama, but instead addressed the hashtag in broad terms. The finsta allegedly showed Lovato talking about her friendship with Selena Gomez and referring to the Harper’s Bazaar cover story in which she said, “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…I will always have love for her, and I wish everybody nothing but the best.”
In a 2018 ELLE cover story, Gomez touched on Lovato’s hospitalization that year: “All I’m saying is, I reached out personally. I didn’t do a public thing. I didn’t want to. I…I love her. I’ve known her since I was seven. So…it’s…that’s what I’ll say.”
There’s been no confirmation on who actually made the account or if Lovato was really involved at all. But it seems like she’s not entertaining the rumors.