Around lunchtime yesterday Page Six published a report that Demi Lovato and fiancé Max Ehrich wouldn’t make it down the aisle. A source close to the couple said, “It’s not over yet, but it’s on its way there.” By dinner time PEOPLE was reporting on the couple’s split, six months into their relationship and two months into their engagement.
The report suggests recent “conflicts” led to the breakup, and that during their early days of dating (way back, six months ago) things were stress-free and fun because they lived in their own isolated bubbles they started when pandemic lockdowns initially rolled out. Now they’re getting back to work, with Max filming a movie in Atlanta, and the distance strained things. It’s also said that Max’s rising profile since linking up with Demi, added to the friction – “He got wrapped up in [Hollywood]” – although, if you ask the folks at Us Weekly, that’s putting it nicely.
“In the beginning, Max was super careful about self-promotion [and] things with his career, but once they got engaged, he really hit the gas pedal and wanted to make the most out of his career opportunities.”
Insiders tell Us Weekly that Demi had been watching the way Max was loving his increased fame and that left a bad taste in her mouth. Taking everything into account, apparently their friends thought they were bound to implode. I know she dated Wilmer Valderrama for six years, and she was clearly the bigger star in that relationship, but is Demi really the type to care?
If we’re to believe the “Max is a famewhore” narrative, it may be telling that the breakup comes two weeks after alleged screenshots of Max thirsting over Selena Gomez and some other pop princesses who rose to prominence in the 2010s surfaced on Twitter. They appear to show (among a ton of other comments) Max writing “MARRY ME NOW” on one of Selena’s Instagram Lives and tweeting super cringe stuff, like “Selena Gomez and Demi are cute together, but boy if you think Demi is prettier… you’re WRONG!” as well as posting “I’m going to marry @Selenagomez” on his Twitter as recently as 2018. Which is a little weird, considering he would have been 27 in 2018, not a kid with a teenage crush on a pop star. Max deactivated his social media earlier this month, while Demi defended him in on her Instagram, writing:
“It’s really sad when people FAKE images to pit women against each other. If women have conflict that’s between them NOT YOU. Secondly, don’t y'all have more important shit to write about in 2020??? I challenge any tabloid that dares to type my name to mention Breonna Taylor and the fact that her murderers still haven’t been arrested. WRITE ABOUT THAT.”
But Demi, what’s sadder? That we live in a world where rogue Selena Gomez fans would totally photoshop evidence to try and break up the relationship of somebody their favourite artist had a falling out with… or that the many videos that have been dug up (and conveniently available here) where Max admits to having a crush on Selena Gomez since 2010 — suggesting the screenshots are very much real. One reality makes me sad for the world, the other makes me sad for Demi, just when I thought 2020 was delivering her some much deserved happiness. Not only is she dealing with her own mental health journey, and sobriety, but she always seems to get dragged back into this Selena vs. Demi drama. After establishing a “we’re not friends, but there’s no ill will" attitude earlier this year, things were good until fans accused Demi of running a finsta to bash Selena. That kind of sh-t is just playing with Demi’s head, when she’s clearly trying to surround herself with positivity two years after an overdose nearly ended her life.
Max’s (not alleged, but totally confirmed) love for Selena Gomez could have been a trigger for Demi, since nobody’s really sure why Selena and Demi’s friendship has been a rocky road over the last decade. I’d be insecure at the bare minimum if I was Demi and I saw his old tweets. That, plus going from being together in a bubble 24/7 to maintaining a more regular schedule now, that involves some long distance, within your first six months together is tough. But just a week and a half ago, as Max’s Selena thirst scandal was subsiding, Demi admitted that she’s started looking at wedding dresses. To be fair the interviewer did ask point-blank if she’s started looking, but if you’re having serious relationship troubles (or you’ve secretly already broken up) wouldn’t you just smile and skirt the question by saying something about how you’ve been too busy working on new music, but you’ll start looking soon? Instead, Demi pulled a “yes, and…” Not only did she say she was looking, but she said she was debating eloping with Max, given social distancing protocols as well as just wanting to keep things private.
Demi and I are nearly the same age and I can’t even fathom getting engaged or wanting to tie the knot any time soon, so it’s hard to imagine a going from wedding dress shopping to returning the ring in less than two weeks… but I’m not inside their relationship. From all the reports I’ve read, sources close to Demi say she’s doing okay despite the circumstances and she just felt it was in the best interest of both parties to split up and focus on their careers. Neither Max or Demi have officially confirmed the news through their reps, but Max returned to Instagram shortly after midnight to post the words “Jesus Loves You” on white background, and turned off comments on all posts. While Demi posted on her IG story around the same time news broke yesterday evening, and it’s the only confirmation needed. Her huge diamond ring is noticeably absent as she records herself in the mirror, zooming in on her t-shirt, which reads: DOGS OVER PEOPLE. Anything else to say on the matter, put it in your next song.
