K Mazur/TCA 2008/WireImageDemi Lovato and Selena Gomez's friendship is tumultuous to say the least.
Although many fans think of these two as BFFs from their days as Disney darlings, these two actually go even further back to their days on Barney and Friends. Throughout the years these two have solidified their standings as A-list pop stars, using Disney Channel to launch their career as actresses and musicians only to go on to spread their wings in solo stardom. Despite their separate lives, they remained close friends—for the most part.
We don't blame you for questioning the status of their friendship. Are they friends? One day it seems like the answer is yes. Other days, it's a clear-cut no. Who can keep up? They've simultaneously defined #friendshipgoals and #frenemies, so in order to make it easier for Selenators and Lovatics, here's a handy guide to their relationship.
As we mentioned earlier, Selena and Demi got their start when they were just seven on the hit series Barney and Friends. Most of their scenes playing Giana and Angela, respectively, were shot together. With such an early start to their friendship, it's no wonder they've been connected for years.
Fast forward to 2008 when the dynamic duo decided to tape Internet vlogs.
Selena and Demi showed off their secret handshake that was set to the theme song for Kit Kat Bars, and barely could contain their laughter the entire time. If that's not pure, innocent friendship, we don't know what is. Delena (their fan name, obviously) continued to epitomize friendship goals at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards where they showed their endless support for each other.
Of course, these two took their friendship back to TV where they starred in Princess Protection Program and even recorded their best friends forever anthem "One and the Same." At this point, it's increasingly clear that these two had each other's backs through thick and thin—and had a People cover story to boot!
"We enjoy doing everything together," Selena told the magazine. "But our favorite is to just chill at each other's houses."
"Definitely. We love watching movies too," Demi echoed. "Like on Halloween we watched so many scary movies together. It was awesome."
Unfortunately, the two would hit a low point in 2010. While in London, Demi ran into a fan who asked how her pal Selena was doing lately. At the time, Selena began hanging out with Taylor Swift, which didn't seem to agree with the "Neon Lights" songstress.
"Ask Taylor," Demi answered.
It was clear that Delena was no more. Rumors swirled that Demi turned to Miley Cyrus while Selena, who was dating Taylor Lautner at the time, chose T. Swift.
"We're both busy, and I wish the best for her," Demi said in a 2010 interview with Girl's Life. "True friends don't let their friends or family be mean to you. If you can't trust somebody, you can't be friends with them."
The friendship was most definitely over, but soon after Demi would check into rehab for eating disorders and self-harm, a cause she is very vocal about today. Upon her release, Demi carried a different tune about her former bestie, as she revealed Selena was one of the few to reach out to her while seeking treatment.
"Nick [Jonas] especially—he's always been there for me. And Selena because she called me crying when I was in there and was just so worried," Demi said.
"I was like, 'Look, I should be the one crying, it's all good!' But she was so worried and ever since then we've gotten closer."
Consider their friendship back on! They made fans fall in love with Delena all over again at the 2011 Kids' Choice Awards and the 2011 MTV VMAs, where the posed for pictures and giggled the night away, but when Justin Bieber entered Selena's life in 2012, Delena began to fall apart again.
At the end of the 2012 Teen Choice Awards, Selena left with then-boyfriend Justin to attend a birthday party he threw for her (awww!), but Demi didn't go. Fans caught up and all wasn't well with these two.
Are you still keeping up? The story isn't over yet. Less than a year later, both Selena and Demi tweeted support for each other's singles, "Come and Get It" and "Heart Attack." In addition to the social media support, Demi told MTV that she and Selena were still BFFs, but they don't keep in touch every day.
"We've been through a lot together, we've had periods of times we here we grew apart and we just didn't really talk," Demi explained.
"Now we are in a place where I think we realized that life is so short and that when you have people in your life that love you so much then, you should just always be around them. She's going to be a big sister, and I want to be around for that. Everything about her, she has a great soul, she's talented, she's beautiful, and she will always be really, really close to my heart."
Selena proved Demi's words correct when she performed on The X-Factor while Demi was a judge. The always-and-forever friends took a cute selfie backstage on Selena's account. "It's just the evidence of forever," Selena wrote. "No matter what @ddlovato."
But "evidence of forever" lasted about a year before the Selenators and Lovatics noticed Demi unfollowed Selena on both Twitter and Instagram in 2014, which is obviously a declaration of war in social media speak. That same year Demi reaffirmed her stance on Selena and the choice to unfollow her while appearing on Watch What Happens Live: "I think it's just one of those things where people change and people grow apart," she explained.
What about forever?!
Perhaps there's still a chance. In 2015 these two extended olive branches to each other by way of following each other again on social media...hurray! And not only did they keep tabs on each other, they also interacted. "IM so grateful you were born," Selena tweeted at Demi on her birthday.
"Demi reciprocated the love, saying, "I'm so glad you were born too... :P #forever #nomatterwhat."
The "forever" is back! And the rest, as they say, is history. Delena even posed for a goofy selfie in September 2015 to reaffirm their friendship. "Look at how #coolforthesummer we are," Lovato captioned the pic. "Friends for years, #sameoldlove."
Mentioning each other's songs? That's friendship for sure.
While their friendship may be tumultuous even at the best of times, it's clear these two always come back when together when they need each other most.