Last night, Demi Lovato reunited with the Jonas Brothers for a Camp Rock medley at their MetLife Stadium show, and suffice it to say: Lives were changed. People were sent into orbit. Tears were shed. 2000s kids everywhere deserve the week, possibly even the month off to process this indescribably powerful moment. Personally, I may have performed all the Camp Rock 2 choreo in my kitchen last night to celebrate the occasion, but that’s neither here nor there.
As we all let this historic moment sink in and hear whispers on the street about a possible Camp Rock 3 coming soon, it’s time for a much-needed refresher on Demi’s complex and fascinating history with the Jonas Brothers. Yes, we all know that the “Cool for the Summer” singer publicly dated Joe for a minute in 2010. But there were also very interesting rumors that they had a fling with Nick around 2016/2017. As a Lovatic of 15 years, I know this tale like the back of my hand. So, did Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas actually date? Here’s what allegedly went down back then.
View this post on Instagram
Did Demi Lovato And Nick Jonas Date? Rumors Explained
Is Demi Lovato’s “Ruin The Friendship” About Nick Jonas?
In the mid-2010s, Demi and Nick really bonded and spent a lot of time together. It was Nick’s “Jealous” era and Demi’s “Cool for the Summer” era… what a time. They co-headlined the Future Now tour (I was there, of course), and they also appeared on James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke together, which is when Demi hilariously spilled the Miley Cyrus/Selena Gomez/Nick love triangle tea. (“It was Selena, then Miley, then back to Selena…”) On Carpool Karaoke, Demi and Nick claimed they never dated or had any kind of romantic connection. But fans just weren’t buying that — especially when Demi released a song that appeared to reference Nick.
There’s a popular theory that Demi’s 2017 track, “Ruin the Friendship,” is about crushing on Nick. “Put down your cigar and pick me up,” they croon in the sultry R&B track. “Play me your guitar, that song I love.” No duh, Nick plays guitar, but he’s also been known to enjoy a cigar on occasion. Not to mention, they were very close friends who spent many late nights with each other during those years, so it just doesn’t seem like a far-fetched theory.
When Demi appeared on Ellen in 2017, Ellen DeGeneres straight-up asked them if the song’s about Nick. “There’s supposedly a song about Nick Jonas,” the former TV host said. Demi smiled and replied, coyly, “Ya know, something that I will always keep to myself is who I write my songs about.” She notably did not deny it.
Demi opened up about “Ruin the Friendship” More during a 2017 chat with Noisey. “I was frustrated with a certain situation,” she said, per Elle. “And I was like, ‘You know what, I’m just going to write about it.’ And so I did, and sent [the songs] to that person, and that was…interesting. Any time you send a song about the person, to the person — it’s ballsy. It’s like, ‘Hey! Here’s my feelings for you!'” She explained that the person (presumably Nick) knew about her feelings for him, but neither of them had acknowledged it before.
“And then it turned out that person had written a song about me, and we exchanged songs,” Demi added. “That person was like, ‘That’s an incredible song.’ And I was like, “Yeah, well. It’s like, ‘Hel-lo!'”
Why Did Demi Lovato And Nick Jonas Stop Talking?
Demi unfollowed Nick on Instagram in June 2018 — months before both her near-fatal overdose and his and Priyanka Chopra’s wedding. She notably did not attend the wedding or comment on it at all. It’s unclear exactly what happened between Demi and Nick around this time and whether or not it was related to her overdose, his wedding, or both. But in an April 2020 interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Demi confirmed that they were not in touch in with the brothers anymore.
Apparently, it’s all water under the bridge now. Shortly before appearing on stage with the Jonas Brothers for the MetLife Stadium Camp Rock reunion, Demi finally re-followed Nick on IG. (And they hugged it out on stage.) The world is healing!!
