The former child stars appear on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' on Friday, where they open up about their similar experiences.
Demi Lovato and Justin Bieber don't just share a manager; the two pop stars have also gone through some very similar experiences. On Friday's episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Lovato, 27, hosts and interviews the Biebs, 26, and talk turns to some of their darker times.
"We both had similar stories being in the industry really young, and then we both had our struggles," Lovato prompts Bieber, asking him if he ever considered another career path.
"I think for a while I tried to run away from some stuff. I tried to run away from the industry, tried to run away from what I felt like God wanted me to do," the "Changes" singer says. "But I feel like this is what you and I are meant to do. You're meant to entertain and sing, and I think same as me. So when we run away from that, we become less happy. We feel like there's all these responsibilities and all these sort of things that become heavy for us. I think sometimes we've gotta run toward the pain rather than run away from it."
Bieber, who is currently sharing his life in a YouTube docuseries, Justin Bieber: Seasons, also got candid about "showing vulnerability," saying he hopes to encourage other young people to do the same.
"I think the more mature you become, the more you understand that there's power in your weakness," he says. "When you're able to show that, it gives other people the confidence to say, you know what, I'm going through similar things myself. It might not be the exact same thing, but I'm going through something too and I've been hiding it. So, just having the confidence and being able to instill that confidence in young people, that it's OK to have problems, you don't have to hide that."
Lovato, who relapsed in 2018 after six years of sobriety and subsequently overdosed, thanks Bieber for providing inspiration to her during a dark time.
"When I struggled last year, I know I looked at you as an inspiration, because you've been through this and you've come out of the other side and I really just admire the man that you are today," she says.
"Thank you for saying that," Bieber replies.
Lovato previously opened up about her overdose on Thursday's Ellen. Watch the clip below for more:
RELATED CONTENT: