Demi Lovato pronouns: Jackie O calls singer ‘flippant’ for going back to she/her

Radio presenter Jackie ‘O’ Henderson has labeled singer Demi Lovato ‘flippant’ for reverting to she/her pronouns a year after she insisted on being referred to by them/them.

The Cool for the Summer star, 29, came out as non-binary in May 2021 and stated her preference for the gender-neutral pronouns because she felt neither male nor female.

But she said in a podcast interview this week she has now decided to go by she/her as well because she has been ‘feeling more feminine’ recently.

Henderson, 47, criticized Lovato’s backflip on The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Wednesday during a discussion with fill-in host Pedro Vitola and newsreader Brooklyn Ross.

The trio seemed annoyed by her decision as they had made an effort not to misgender Lovato during her last appearance on the program in September 2021, which the musician said she was grateful for.

The show aired an audio clip of Lovato saying, ‘Everyone messes up pronouns at some point,’ which prompted Henderson to remark: ‘Especially when they get changed on you.’

‘Demi really annoys me with that,’ replied Ross, noting that co-host Kyle Sandilands – who was not on air on Wednesday – often struggles to remember pronouns even though he ‘does care about everyone’.

He continued: ‘We’re not here to insult anyone on purpose. But Demi Lovato swapping and changing… I’m sorry, but you can’t just expect people to follow your life and know what to call you when it changes back and forth.’

Vitola also weighed in, saying these kind of backflips make it difficult for people who are genuinely trying to understand and be correct with pronouns.

Less than a year ago, Lovato thanked Sandilands and Henderson on air for being ‘so great with my pronouns’ when she went exclusively by them/them.

Sandilands slipped up at the start of the interview by using ‘she’ but corrected himself and did not make the same mistake again.

‘I do want to say thank you so much, because you’re doing so great with my pronouns,’ she said at the time.

‘Your intention was there and I noticed it, so I just want to say thank you.’

Recalling this exchange on Wednesday, Henderson said: ‘When we interviewed her, we were told [by her publicist]”Look, she’s taking the pronouns very seriously.

‘”Try and get your head around them/them when referring to her. However, if you make a mistake, she’s fine with that.”‘

She added: ‘I think people will look at what Demi’s done and [think]”Maybe she should have thought about it for a bit longer before making that claim,” because now she doesn’t feel that way anymore.’

Ross, who is gay, noted there are trans and non-binary people who take pronouns ‘more seriously’ than the former Disney star seems to.

‘[People] won’t like what she’s done and how flippant it’s been,’ added Henderson. ‘But hey, each to their own.’

Lovato opened up about re-adopting she/her pronouns during an appearance on the Spout Podcast, which premiered on August 1, revealing she recently began ‘feeling more feminine’.

‘I’ve actually adopted the pronouns of she/her again with me. So for me, I’m such a fluid person that I don’t really and I don’t find that I am… I felt like, especially last year, my energy was balanced and my masculine and feminine energy so that when I was faced with the choice of walking into a bathroom and it said “women” and “men”, I didn’t feel like there was a bathroom for me, because I didn’t necessarily feel like a woman,’ she explained.

‘I didn’t feel like a man. I just felt like a human. And that’s what they/them is about. For me, it’s just about like feeling human at your core.’

‘Recently I’ve been feeling more feminine, and so I’ve adopted she/her again. But I think what’s important is, like, nobody’s perfect. Everyone messes up pronouns at some point, and especially when people are learning, it’s just all about respect,’ she added.

Lovato states her pronouns as ‘they/them/she/her’ in her Instagram bio.

Lovato came out as non-binary and revealed her they/them pronouns last year.

In a video posted to Twitter, Lovato said: ‘I want to take this moment to share something very personal with you.

‘Over the past year and a half, I’ve been doing some healing and self-reflective work, and through this work I’ve had the revelation that I identify as non-binary.

‘With that said, I’ll be officially changing my pronouns to they/them. I feel that this best represents the fluidity I feel in my gender expression and allows me to feel most authentic and true to the person I both know I am and still am discovering.’

‘I want to make it clear I’m still learning and coming into myself. I don’t claim to be an expert or a spokesperson.’

Lovato went onto urge fans to ‘keep living in your truths’ and sent ‘so much love’ to those who are still struggling to come to terms with their identity.

In a Twitter thread to accompany the video, she added: ‘Every day we wake up, we are given another opportunity and chance to be who we want and wish to be.

‘I’ve spent the majority of my life growing in front of all of you… you’ve seen the good, the bad and everything in between.

‘Not only has my life been a journey for myself, I was also living for those on the other side of the cameras.

‘Today is a day I’m so happy to share more of my life with you all – I am proud to let you know that I identify as non-binary and will officially be changing my pronouns to them/them moving forward.

‘This has come after a lot of healing and self-reflective work. I’m still learning and coming into myself and I don’t claim to be an expert or a spokesperson. Sharing this with you now opens another level of vulnerability for me.

‘I’m doing this for those out there that haven’t been able to share who they truly are with their loved ones. Please keep living in your truths and know I am sending so much love your way.’