Demi Lovato has some regrets when it comes to her younger sister Madison De La Garza.

On the Wednesday (October 22) episode of the Las Culturistas podcast, Lovato, 33, expressed regret for not being more protective of De La Garza, 10 years her junior, when they were both on TV in the late 2000s. Lovato was a staple on Disney Channel with movies like Camp Rock and her own show Sonny with a Chance while De La Garza portrayed the daughter of Eva Longoria's character on Desperate Housewives from 2008 to 2012, per People.

"At the time, I wish I had been a little bit more protective, to be honest. Because that role was, I think, really challenging for her at such a young age," she said. "And I had been distracted by my own stuff going on, unfortunately, and so I live with some regret in that aspect."

Some of that regret is tied to the way De La Garza's character's weight was often discussed on the show. While Lovato understands there is "only so much you can do" as a teenager in that situation, as well as with a family who is still learning how to navigate the industry, the singer still wishes she could have done something to help.

"I do have a little bit of regret because I think it was a difficult role for her," Lovato said. "There was a lot of scrutiny in the show about her body and I hate that. But she's so strong and she's so amazing. She turned out so great and I'm so proud of her. She did incredible work on that show. She was iconic."

The "Confident" singer said she learned more about her sister's real feelings on that time of her life while talking to her in Child Star, the 2024 documentary Lovato co-directed about impact of childhood fame.

"We talked about it in my Child Star documentary, and she opened up and was vulnerable with me then, and I think in that moment, that's when I realized the effect the show had on her," Lovato said. "But I've always been protective over her. She's my baby sister and she always will be."

Elsewhere in the interview, Lovato opened up about her decision to be candid about her rehab journey after experiencing a "very public outburst" when she was a teenager.

Jeffrey T. Mason