Demi Lovato, Drew Barrymore reflect on being 'breadwinners' at a young age

Demi Lovato and Drew Barrymore have more things in common with each other than just being child stars, and the two sat down to reflect on their extraordinary lives in Lovato’s latest podcast.

Talking on the 4D With Demi Lovato podcast, the two talked about their journeys that have included crippling addictions, institutionalization, and being the ‘breadwinners’ of their families at a young age – Lovato shot to fame after her stint on Barney and Friends as an 8-year-old while Barrymore starred in the Oscar-winning film ET when she was just 6!

Lovato, who went on to become a Disney channel star with shows and films like Sonny With a Chance and Camp Rock, shared how when she first shot to fame, her parents had no clue how to deal with a child star.

“When they would try and ground me at 17, I would say, ‘I pay the bills’,” she recalled. “I cringe now when I think about the attitude. But when the world is putting you on the pedestal, you think you can do no wrong.”

Barrymore chimed in with her own explanation for the behaviour – reveresed parent-child dynamics.

“I think it’s the parent-child dynamic that gets completely reversed. No wonder you won’t take an order from an authority figure who’s no longer an authority figure because you’ve now reduced them down with finances and responsibilities,” she said.

The two also talked about their struggles with addiction and being institutionalized – Lovato has famously struggled with her sobreity and suffered a major overdose in 2018 while Barrymore was just 13 when she was first admitted to a rehab facility by her mom.

Barrymore, 48, now a mother to two kids, then reflected that she lacked boundaries as a child actor, something that stood out to her when she dealt with her own kids.

“When you’re a parent, you try to compensate with so much love and you’re almost afraid to get into the argument. So you let things slide and then you’re like, ‘Oh, there should’ve been a boundary in that place probably a while ago,’ but I guess I’m only realizing that now.”

Watch the podcast here: