Fans often see the glitz and glam of Hollywood life, but when you pull back the curtains,
all that glitters isn’t gold. Let’s dive into which stars have been pushed to their
limits behind the scenes and who’s stepped back from the spotlight for good.
When you just see Instagram photos, red carpet moments, and polished interviews, being a
celebrity looks awesome.
But over the past few years, stars like Jennette McCurdy, Demi Lovato, Justin Bieber, and more
have become increasingly honest about the dark side of the entertainment industry.
We’ve seen celebs revealing more and more about their harsh experiences with fame in
docu-series and we’ve even seen documentaries like ‘Framing Britney Spears’ that show
just how dark fame can get.
And as these conversations have been happening, former Nickelodeon star Jennette McCurdy got
real about why she’s no longer acting.
Fans of iCarly know that the show’s rebooting with Paramount +, but Jennette won’t have
ANY part in the revival.
During a recent episode of her podcast, “Empty Inside” Jennette revealed an incident she
had that made her resent acting from a young age.
Jennette explained that her mom, who she had a complicated relationship with before her
passing, had pushed her into acting.
After one audition, she overheard her mom on a call with her agent.
Jennette recalled that quote, “My agent, I literally hear her on speaker phone go,
'They want an ethereal beauty. Jennette is not an ethereal beauty. She is homely. She
reads homely.’ And I was like, OK, guess I read homely.”
During the podcast, Jennette also said that she was embarrassed of many of her past roles
and even felt ashamed of the previous parts she did end up landing.
She said quote, “I'm so ashamed of the parts I've done in the past. I resent my career
in a lot of ways. I feel so unfulfilled by the roles that I played and felt like it was
the most cheesy, embarrassing.”
Jennette has also been honest about the dark side of body shaming she’s experienced in
Hollywood.
In 2019, she wrote a piece for Huffington Post where she discussed her eating disorder
she’s suffered with since she was 11 years old.
Before we get into what Jennette said, I wanted to issue a trigger warning that we’d be
discussing her eating disorder and others in the remainder of this video. Please only
continue watching if you feel comfortable doing so.
Jennette wrote quote, “I quickly learned that remaining physically small for my age
meant I had a better chance of booking more roles.” She also looked back on both
her and her mom’s struggle with anorexia and said quote, “I always remember feeling
that my mom really struggled with my body, weight and diet. She’d regularly compare
my size to that of other girls. She’d portion out my meals for me. She’d help me count
calories.” Jennette said that quote, “At the time, instead of being bothered
by her suggestions, I remember thinking that she was actually helping me ― that she ‘got
it’ more than the other moms ― and that she wanted me to be successful.”
In hindsight she realized how unhealthy this mentality was and it’s part of the reason
why she’s left acting behind for good for now.
But Jennette isn’t the only star who’s opened up about diet culture, eating disorders,
and this dark part of the entertainment industry.
In March 2020, Demi Lovato revealed that her former team “controlled” almost everything
she ate.
In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Demi said quote, “I felt my life was controlled
by so many people around me. For many years, I didn’t even have a birthday cake. I had
a watermelon cake, where you cut your watermelon into the shape of a cake and you put fat-free
whipped cream on top and that was your cake.”
Demi went on and recalled her former team also micromanaging her weight by checking
her Starbucks receipts, removing phones from hotel rooms to stop her from ordering room
service, and closely monitoring her sugar intake.
Demi explained that these restrictions made her feel quote “really, really unhappy”
and ultimately resurfaced dangerous habits.
While she hasn’t quit working in the entertainment industry like Jennette, the pressures of the
spotlight and her own struggles with addiction eventually led to Demi’s near fatal overdose
in 2018. Her new documentary series Dancing With
The Devil premieres on YouTube later this month and Demi promised she won’t be holding
back on everything she’s experienced these past few years.
And like Demi, Justin Bieber has also discussed the challenges of fame through a docu-series,
and also through his music.
In his song “Lonely,” which is on his new album Justice, Justin details the difficult
parts of childhood stardom.
Some of the lyrics of the song go, “And maybe that's the price you pay / for the money
and the fame at an early age/ And everybody saw me sick/ And it felt like no one gave
a s*** / They criticized the things I did as an idiot kid.”
And when the song was released, Justin tweeted writing, “To be honest the song is hard
for me to listen to considering how tough it was to get through some of these chapters.
I believe it is powerful to express vulnerability and that’s why I believe this song is so
powerful.” Justin has also discussed that while he was
suffering with this physical and mental health, people would always speculate that he was
on drugs.
In an Instagram post, Justin wrote quote, “While a lot of people kept saying Justin
Bieber looks like sh*t, on meth, etc. they failed to realized that I’ve recently been
diagnosed with Lyme disease. Not only that, but had a serious case of chronic mono which
affected my skin, brain function, energy, and overall health.”
All of these celebrities' stories are just reminders that you never know what someone
is truly going through.
Also, nothing is ever as good as it seems on the outside. While there definitely are
perks of being famous, there are some deep, dark challenges as well.
We’re glad that after years of suffering, Jennette, Demi, and Justin have all taken
the time throughout their careers to prioritize themselves and their health.
Hopefully more and more people can learn from them and their powerful stories.
If you want more on Demi Lovato’s upcoming documentary, click right over here for another
Clevver News video.
Also, feel free to show some love and support for these stars down in the comments below.
I’m your host Sussan Mourad, you can find me on Instagram @Sussan_Mourad, bye guys!