Summary
- Howard Stern criticized Demi Lovato for her yogurt controversy.
- Lovato publicly berated a small business for serving a sugar-free alternative, causing backlash.
- Stern questioned Lovato about her past public statements, including her comments about the word "alien" being offensive to extraterrestrials.
Howard Stern has a history of igniting feuds with celebrities. It's one of the many reasons why millions of listeners tuned into his groundbreaking radio show in the earlier years of his career. At one stage, his staffers would even do everything they could to offend celebrities as well as get them to storm out of live Stern Show interviews.
Nowadays, things are different. But that doesn't mean that Stern refuses to slam celebrities for the things they say or do in public. It's just that now he may have to eat his words when the same people he's criticized come on his show.
This includes music superstar Demi Lovato whom Stern once berated in 2021. But during a news-making interview in September 2023, Stern waxed poetic about Lovato. Here's what happened...
What Did Howard Stern Say About Demi Lovato's Yogurt Controversy?
Howard Stern slammed Demi Lovato for being a "Karen" following the singers' 2021 yogurt shop controversy. The "Skyscraper" singer and former Disney Channel superstar found herself in hot water with far more than just Howard Stern after she publicly berated a small business for serving a "sugar-free" alternative.
"[Demi Lovato] went to a yogurt store and she got on [social media] and she was like lecturing everybody about how the guy at the yogurt store had sugar-free yogurt and it triggered something in her because [of her eating disorder]," Howard explained to his audience on his April 28th, 2021 show.
"I don't even know what her logic is but then she had to apologize."
According to Us Magazine, Lovato slammed The Bigg Chill for being "diet culture vultures" as the option could have been "upsetting" for those battling an eating disorder. This, of course, was also in reference to her own personal struggles, which Stern empathized with.
Lovato said that seeing the sugar-free option was "triggering and awful". This caused a flurry of hateful messages from her fans which targeted the small business and made huge news. The Bigg Chill was forced to apologize for causing the superstar distress.
But the backlash against Lovato, who has often been a symbol for politically correct culture, was far greater.
So much so that Lovato herself had to apologize but also doubled down on her intention. During an 8-minute Instagram video, the "Cool for the Summer" singer said, "People with eating disorders should be able to go in and feel safe wherever they want to eat. Everything I’m doing is well-intentioned, you have to understand.”
Howard Stern, his co-host Robin Quivers, and their staff dissected the whole situation on their show, further slamming Lovato.
"We have a whole generation of people who think the world should completely change so they don't get upset or triggered," Robin Quivers said to Stern, also referring to the fact that the Bigg Chill had that option (as well as others) for those who either choose not to eat sugar or can't due to diseases... something Lovato appeared to have neglected to acknowledge.
"You mean, I don't get a sugar-free option because it triggers you? I mean, really? Do you really think the world is set up for you? What kind of parenting to do you get to think that the world should revolve around you?" Howard said.
"So, if you're a recovering alcoholic, how about every restaurant should stop serving alcohol so you won't be triggered? Is that a responsible request? No! You've got to learn how to function in a world where there are people who can drink responsibly."
"You're going to be in a lot of places where there [is] alcohol, including your family," Stern continued. "And I know it's difficult. I'm not being insensitive here. And I know you're struggling. But not everyone's going to put away alcohol when you're in the room."
On another occasion, Stern and his staff berated Demi Lovato for criticizing people who call extraterials "aliens" as she thinks they'd be offended by it. This was something Stenr did bring up during their September 2023 interview.
Howard Stern's Interview With Demi Lovato
It's not surprising that Demi Lovato's interview on The Howard Stern Show made a boatload of news. After all, Stern is known as being one of the best celebrity interviewers in the business. His ability to get famous people to let their guard down and reveal some juicy details about themselves, their careers, and their relationships is truly impressive.
During Demi Lovato's September 11th, 2023 interview, she revealed that "Cool For The Summer" is really about a sexual relationship she had with another famous female. She, of course, did not mention who this was.
Instead, Lovato revealed a lot about her past drug use and her relationship with her boyfriend Jutes. Lovato also slammed her previous relationships with much older men, likely alluding to her time dating Wilmer Valderamma from That 70s Show.
While no one was taken aback by Stern's ability to get Lovato to shed light on her personal life, but fans may have been shocked at how much he praised her in the interview.
Despite Stern never showing any interest in Demi Lovato's music prior to the interview, he seemed to fawn over her musical abilities.
"You have tremendous power in your voice," Stern said to Lovato after hearing her warm-up before her performance on his radio show.
Stern did seem to authentically empathize with her personal struggles, most notably the troubled relationship with her absent biological father. A large portion of the interview was spent on these issues, which Stern appeared interested in.
Near the end of the interview, Howard Stern appeared to reference some of the criticisms he's had of Demi Lovato's public statements. It started with him probing her about the existence of aliens and how she claimed to have seen UFOs after taking substances. He then took a small jab at her for her highly scrutinized comments from 2021 about the word "alien" being offensive to extraterrestrials.
"You consider the word 'alien' to be offensive to extraterrestrials?" Stern asked.
"Okay! Here's the thing about that... Someone who is an expert in this field told me that and then I like said it in one interview and people were like, 'Oh my God, she's being so sensitive'," Lovato recalled about the news story which was covered by numerous sources including CNN. "That's what I was told."
"You are a very sensitive woman," Stern responded. "Because you're worried about how the extraterrestrials are feeling about being called 'aliens'."
"I call them aliens. I call them aliens."
At the end of the interview, Howard Stern returned to praising Demi Lovato and her career.
"We had fun today," Stern said to Lovato before praising her 2023 album, "Revamped", which turned her old pop songs into rock songs. "This was just a great morning of music and conversation. Thanks for being so open."
