Demi Lovato helped make the Disney Channel what it is today.
When the Disney Channel celebrated its 40th anniversary by showing a compilation of “12 Iconic Wand IDs,” fans knew to expect some familiar Disney Channel star’s faces, including Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, Raven Symone, the Jonas Brothers, Brenda Song, Dove Cameron, Zendaya, and of course, Demi Lovato.
Only one of those faces didn’t end up making it into the tribute video: Demi Lovato.
Immediately fans started flocking to the tribute and adding Lovato’s wand wave from when she was starring in the successful Camp Rock series of movies.
In her 2021 documentary Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil, the 30-year-old singer and actor revealed thatt while she was a teen at the channel, she was raped by a fellow Disney actor.
Demi’s fans were quick to point out that Disney was not only erasing Lovato from the tribute, but hiding replies that called them out for it and mentioned the rape as a possible reason.
Fans call out Disney Channel for leaving Demi Lovato, one of their all-time top talents, out of a montage for their 40th anniversary.
The network is also being criticized for hiding comments pointing to Lovato’s allegation that a fellow Disney actor raped her and “never got in… pic.twitter.com/YQxUp8LD6m
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) April 6, 2023
No matter how bad Disney wants this bad press to go away, Demi Lovato was one of THEE girlies back in the heyday of the Disney Channel. She contributed to its success just as much as Gomez, Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, and any of the others, and Disney should put some respect on her name.
Here are some of Lovato’s projects with Disney that prove just how much she did for the company and brand.
As the Bell Rings
From 2007-2008, Lovato starred in the Disney Channel short show As the Bell Rings as Charlotte Adams.
Camp Rock
She left As the Bell Rings after one season to do her first Disney Channel Original Movie, Camp Rock. She played singer Mitchie Torres who gets a free ride to a summer music camp where she meets Shane (Joe Jonas), the spoiled and arrogant lead singer of a boy band called Connect 3. The soundtrack featured “We Rock” and the iconic Demi/Joe Jonas duet “This Is Me.”
Sonny With a Chance
At the same time, Lovato was cast as the title character in the Disney show Sonny With a Chance. She starred as Sonny Munroe, a teen comedian from Wisconsin who moves to Hollywood and gets her big break on a sketch show called So Random!
Don't Forget
Due to the success of her songs in other Disney projects, Lovato was signed to Hollywood Records and released her debut album Don’t Forget. The album was certified gold in the US, with over 500,000 copies sold.
Princess Protection Program
In 2009, Lovato starred in her second Disney Channel Original Movie, Princess Protection Program. She played Princess Rosalinda María Montoya Fioré, the princess of the small nation Costa Luna who is forced to go on the run after an attempted coup. She stays with agent Joe Mason of the Princess Protection Program, and his teen daughter Carter Mason (played by Selena Gomez). The two became fast friends and had a ton of gay energy.
Here We Go Again
Also in 2009, Lovato released her second studio album, Here We Go Again. This was her first number one album. The title single became her first top twenty hit, peaking at number 15.
Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam
In 2010, Lovato reprised her role as Mitchie Torres in Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. It premiered to 8 million viewers, making it the number one TV movie of the year.
"Let It Go"
In 2013, Lovato sang the pop version of the smash hit “Let it Go” from the Disney animated movie Frozen. This was another top 40 hit for Lovato and is one of the most iconic songs of the modern Disney era.
