Demi Lovato Hints She Was Sexually Abused After Fans Accuse Her of Harassing Staffer

People

Demi Lovato alluded she was sexually abused growing up after she was criticized and accused of harassment for pulling what she called the “funniest prank ever.”

During a Q&A with her fans and followers on Twitter Sunday, the singer, 25, said in a now-deleted tweet that she pranked her bodyguard Max by calling “a lady of the night” as a surprise. “She walked into his room without permission and grabbed him in his ‘area’ and he freaked the f–k out hahahahaha,” Lovato added.

Demi Lovato is seen on June 4, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo: Marc Piasecki/GC Images)
Demi Lovato is seen on June 4, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo: Marc Piasecki/GC Images)

Many took offense to Lovato’s prank, suggesting she had harassed her bodyguard as he did not consent to the prostitute touching him.

(Image: Demi Lovato via Twitter)
(Image: Demi Lovato via Twitter)

“Let me say it louder: ASSAULT IS ASSAULT!!!!! Statistics show you’re most likely to be assaulted by someone you know. I cant even imagine hiring someone to do the worst thing you can do to another human being and claim it’s a prank? MEN CAN BE ASSAULTED TOO!!,” one Twitter user wrote.

A rep for Lovato did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Hours later, the star apologized on Twitter, hinting she had experienced sexual abuse during her childhood.

“For all of those coming at me rn, listen to the lyrics of ‘Warrior’ and maybe you’ll have more compassion for someone who made a simple mistake. Of all people I know about sexual abuse. You don’t have to educate me,” Lovato wrote.

“So sorry if anyone was offended,” she added.

In response to a fan tweet that read, “We know you and your story,” Lovato tweeted, “That’s just the thing… people DON’T know my full story.”

In “Warrior,” the track off her 2013 album Demi, Lovato sings: “There’s a part of me I can’t get back/ A little girl grew up too fast/ All it took was once/ I’ll never be the same/ Now I’m taking back my life today.”

That same year, Lovato told Cosmopolitan that “Warrior” has a meaning only those close to her understand.

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“My family knows what it’s about. When I’m ready to open up that subject with the outside world, then I’ll be free to talk about it. But right now, it’s kind of one of those things where the lyrics speak for me. It’s all in the song,” she said.

RELATED: Demi Lovato Claps Back at Fan Accusing Her of Breaking Sobriety: ‘I Don’t Have to Defend Anything’

As most people know, I tend to get fired up about the things I believe in, and although my heart and intentions are always in the right place, unfortunately sometimes my passion gets the best of me and causes me to say things that I probably shouldn't say. And when doing so it takes away from the real reason I am speaking up in the first place. Our focus should be on the topic of victims of sexual and physical abuse being afraid to come forward with their stories. They're more likely to face retaliation and harassment than to see justice being served. Especially women. It baffles me that when it comes to serious issues like equality and abuse, too often women are not taken as seriously as men. All I want to see is women coming together and actually making a difference. A real change and shift in society. Everyone has their own way of giving support to others , and at the end of the day, helping victims is all that matters. Ultimately, the message I want people to hear is it's okay to come forward with your abuse and if you do decide to take action, you are not alone.

A post shared by Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) on Feb 22, 2016 at 4:02pm PST

Lovato previously spoke out supporting victims of sexual assault in February 2016.

“Our focus should be on the topic of victims of sexual and physical abuse being afraid to come forward with their stories,” she said at the time when she publicly supported Kesha‘s legal battle against Sony and Dr. Luke, who she accused of drugging and raping her and verbally and emotionally abusing her for a decade.

Luke has vehemently denied the allegations and countersued Kesha for breach of contract and defamation.