Demi Lovato Gives Heartfelt Speech About Mental Illness At Brooklyn Show

On Friday night, DJ Khaled and Kehlani surprised Demi Lovato on stage in Brooklyn during her Tell Me You Love Me tour to celebrate her sixth year sober. The pop star then gave a heartfelt speech about her experience with substance abuse and mental illness. "Thank you for saving my life," she told the audience.

"What you've overcome through trials and tribulations, through dark clouds, you found the sunshine, and now the sun is shining on you forever," Khaled said. "And every night you come light up the stage and you represent your fans, and that's so amazing."

Earlier that day, Lovato shared a post on Instagram commemorating her sixth year of sobriety. "A huge part of my recovery was learning to love myself and to give back to others," she wrote.

"You give me hope and strength and pride, and every bit of myself that I am—the good side, the bad side, the funny side, the quirky side," Kehlani told Lovato on stage at Friday's show. "You are 100 percent yourself, and that is so rare in this world and this industry. I'm so, so, so, so proud of you, and honored to know you."

With tears in her eyes, Lovato addressed the crowd and talked about her experience getting sober. "Yesterday, six years ago, I was drinking vodka out of a Sprite bottle at 9 in the morning, throwing up in the car," she said. "And I just remember thinking, 'This is no longer cute. This is no longer fun. And I'm just like my dad.' So I took a look at my life and I said, 'Something has to change, I've got to get sober'—so I did."

After a stagehand got her a box of tissues, she continued. "I made changes in my life, and the reason I became so open about my story is because I know that there are people here tonight that need to ask for help, and I want you to know that that's okay," Lovato said. 

"Mental health is something that we all need to talk about, and we need to take the stigma away from it," she continued. "So let's raise the awareness." 

Let's let everybody know it's okay to have a mental illness, it's okay to have an addiction problem. I'm bipolar—like, whatever! I take care of myself. And I can never say 'Thank you' enough to you guys for the support that you've given me over the years, and you've forgiven me for my mistakes. Thank you for being a part of saving my life. I love you guys.