Demi Lovato Was ‘Nervous’ About MTV VMAs Performance, But Then Saw Taylor Swift Singing Along

Demi Lovato has two very special people to thank for getting through their 2023 MTV VMAs performance. During the pop star’s appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, Lovato shared that they had some initial nerves before going up on stage that melted away once she saw two stars in the audience.

“It was so much fun, I had such a great time, I got to perform revamped versions of my songs, so rock versions of some of my biggest hits,” Lovato explained of the performance, which included “Heart Attack,” “Sorry Not Sorry” and “Cool for the Summer.”

When asked which celebrity friends they spotted in the audience, Lovato replied, “You know, who I saw cheering me on was Taylor Swift and Kelsea Ballerini. I was nervous going out there and once I saw people in the audience cheering me on, I was like, ‘OK, I can do this.’”

Lovato’s revelation came amid fan speculation back in 2010 that the pair were feuding. When asked about Selena Gomez — a childhood friend, a well as Barney and Friends co-stars and Disney Channel alumni — Lovato told paparazzi to “Ask Taylor.” 

In the time since, it appears that any “Bad Blood” between the two has fizzled out. A Swift fan account tweeted a video of the pop star singing along to “Heart Attack” during the VMAs, and Lovato responded with a smiley face with hearts emoji.

Watch Lovato talk about Swift’s VMA support in the video above.