What Really Happened Between Demi Lovato And Ryan Phillippe

Demi Lovato has been more open about their sexuality and gender fluidity than ever before. The singer recently revealed their pronouns are "they/them" as it "best represents the fluidity I feel in my gender expression." The "Sorry Not Sorry" singer also came out as queer 2020, with Lovato revealing that they realized they were queer after watching "Cruel Intentions" as a kid.

"It was definitely when I was young and should not have been watching 'Cruel Intentions,' but I did and it was that scene where they made out on the park lawn," they shared on the Facebook Watch's "Coming Out 2020." "I was just like, 'Oh, wait a minute — I really like that, I wanna try it... And then, when I was like 17, I did get down with that. And that's when I knew."

Coincidentally, there was also a "Cruel Intentions" star who Lovato was rumored to be involved with a year after they had their first queer experience. It was no other than Ryan Phillippe.

Back in 2011, word on the street was Demi Lovato and Ryan Phillippe hooked up. Lovato was 18 and Phillippe was 36 at the time, but the wide age gap didn't seem to stop the two from seeing each other — according to one insider. "It was really hot and heavy for a while," a source told E! News. It was unclear whether their relationship eventually turned into romance, but the insider claimed to Us Weekly that they indeed hooked up. They pointed out that Lovato and Phillippe were "just hooking up" and "it was nothing serious."

But another source dispelled the dating rumors to People. "This is not true. He's totally single," they said. Additionally, many think that Lovato shied away from pursuing anything serious with Phillippe when they found out that he was involved in a paternity case with ex-girlfriend Alexis Knapp. "It kind of threw her for a loop," a source claimed.

Ultimately, Lovato put the rumors to rest when they told the press that their focus was solely on music. Per Digital Spy, the Disney star-turned-singer denied that they were romantically involved with Phillippe. "No. It's all random stuff," they said at the HTC Status Phone Launch Party. But a few years later, the rumors bubbled back up.

Six years later, in 2017, dating rumors between the two began circulating again when Ryan Phillippe was spotted leaving Demi Lovato's residence in the wee hours of the morning. According to Hollywood Life, Lovato had hosted a Halloween party that night, but Phillippe didn't arrive until all the guests had gone. He eventually left five hours later, apparently alone, which prompted everyone to think that he was doing the walk of shame.

Nothing seemed to happen between the two after the alleged encounter (if anything even happened). According to Life & Style, Lovato's friends had warned them to stay away from Phillippe. "Demi is smitten with Ryan," a source said at the time, "but [their] friends worry he's a bad influence on [them] and have begged [them] not to date him." After all, Phillippe had been embroiled in domestic violence allegations at the time. (The case was later settled.) Lovato's friends feared that it was already too late since they appeared to be already in love. "Demi and Ryan are already saying, 'I love you,'" the source added. "Now her friends fear it's too late to stop this possibly very toxic relationship."

However, rumors remained to be just that — rumors.