Keke Palmer and Demi Lovato opened up about their past relationships with older men during a recent episode of Palmer’s podcast.
The two former child stars reflected on their early careers and discussed how their perspectives on past age-gap relationships have changed over time.
The conversation took place on the March 3 episode of Baby, This is Keke Palmer. During the episode, both entertainers revisited their teenage years in the industry and addressed dating older men while working as young actresses.
Both women began working in entertainment at a young age. As a result, they said they were often described as mature for their age. However, they explained that their current understanding of those relationships differs from how they viewed them at the time.
Keke Palmer Discusses Teenage Relationship With Older Boyfriend
Keke Palmer reflected on dating someone older when she was a teenager. During the episode, she said:
“I’m fifteen, why was my boyfriend 20?”
Palmer, who starred in True Jackson, VP as a teenager, previously shared that she experienced an “inappropriate” relationship with an older man during that period of her life.
On the podcast, she explained that at the time, the relationship felt normal to her. “That was very difficult for me because at 15 I’m thinking like, ‘My boyfriend’s older because I’m doing an older job. And I’m doing a bunch of things and this is the way that it is,’” Keke explained. “And it seemed normal in my mind.”
She added that gaining perspective as an adult changed how she views those experiences.
“The moment when you realize and you get [to] the age of a lot of people that were around you and doing stuff,” she said, “it’s almost a mental break that can happen because you realize, ‘You were taking advantage. Oh, I was being exploited.’”
Palmer is now a mother to son Leo, whom she shares with ex Darius Jackson. While discussing her past, she focused primarily on how maturity and age influence perspective over time.
Demi Lovato Reflects on Age Gaps in Past Relationships
Demi Lovato also addressed dating older partners during her teenage years. In response to Palmer’s comments, Lovato said: “Why was my boyfriend 30?”
Palmer reacted to the statement during the episode, saying, “Girl, damn. I’m not smiling at that but that is real. We were trying to find outlets, though, and just a way to process this.”
Lovato previously dated Wilmer Valderrama for six years before their 2016 breakup. Their age difference drew public attention at the time. Although Lovato has not confirmed specific details during this recent conversation, she has spoken in past interviews about reassessing earlier relationships as she has grown older.
She referenced her 2022 song 29 during the discussion.
The lyrics include: “Far from innocent / what the f–k’s consent? / Numbers told you not to / but that didn’t stop you,”
“Finally 29 / Funny, just like you were you at the time. Thought it was a teenage dream / just a fantasy / But was it yours or was it mine?”
Lovato has not publicly confirmed who the song references. However, she encouraged Palmer to listen to it during their exchange.
“I also wrote a song about that,” she said. “It’s called ‘29’ and when you listen to it I think you’ll be able to relate to it.” Lovato married Jordan “Jutes” Lutes in May.
Child Stardom and Shifting Perspectives on Past Relationships
During the podcast episode, both performers discussed how working in entertainment from a young age contributed to feeling older than they were. They explained that being treated as professionals in adult environments may have influenced how they viewed relationships at the time.
Palmer also referenced Hilary Duff while discussing similar experiences among former child stars. She mentioned Duff’s 2025 song Mature, which reflects on power dynamics in past relationships. Duff rose to prominence starring in Lizzie McGuire.
“I love the Hilary Duff song that she came out with,” Keke said.
“Yeah, because it’s like ‘oh s–t’ we all had the same damn life.’ You know what I mean, where people kept telling us ‘You’re so mature for your age.’”
Organizations such as RAINN have published resources discussing consent and power imbalances in relationships, particularly when age differences are involved. While Palmer and Lovato focused on their personal experiences, their comments align with broader public conversations about age gaps and power dynamics in the entertainment industry.