Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez Reunite at InStyle Awards

After exchanging compliments on social media, the Disney Channel stars pose for their first photo together in years

By Zach Johnson Oct 24, 2017 12:20 PMTags

Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez are still one and the same.

The childhood pals reunited during the third annual InStyle Awards at The Getty Center in L.A. Monday. Lovato, styled by Law Roach, wore Gianvito Rossi heels and a lavender dress with a thigh-high slit from Alice + Olivia's Spring 2018 Ready-to-Wear collection. Gomez, styled by Kate Young, paired her LBD from Jacquemus' Spring 2018 Ready-to-Wear line with geometric heels.

Lovato and Gomez, who met as child stars on Barney & Friends and later co-starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie Princess Protection Program, posed for photographers outside.

The reunion was especially exciting for fans on social media, as they have followed their ups and downs for years. Despite their rocky history, Lovato reached out to Gomez via Twitter in July, writing, "Loving your new song Fetish. We've come a long way since our Barney days." It was Gomez's turn to publicly praise her pal last week after the release of Demi Lovato: Simply Complicated, in which Lovato opened up about her drug abuse. Gomez commented on one of Lovato's Instagram posts promoting the documentary, saying, "This was beautiful. I'm so happy for you. You always continue to [be] bold and real. I wish more people were like you. Love you."

Donato Sardella/Getty Images for InStyle
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for InStyle
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for InStyle

"I've known her since we were 7, and we did fall apart for a while," Gomez told Seventeen in 2014. "She was going through things and I was so young and it was confusing. I processed it saying, 'OK, I don't understand what she's going through, so I'm just going to do this.' I don't think it was fair, and I'm so happy that I have her back in my life now." A few months later, however, they unfollowed each other on social media. As Lovato later nonchalantly said on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, "People change and people grow apart." But that was then, and this is now—and they're both following each other on Instagram again.

The InStyle Awards marked the first time the friends had posed for photo together in years. Gomez was on hand to present Hung Vanngo with the Makeup Artist of the Year award. Elle Fanning said hello to her during cocktail hour, and the "Wolves" singer complimented the actress' dress from Versace's Spring 2018 Ready to Wear line, saying, "Oh, my God! I love this!" According to a partygoer, Fanning and Gomez "talked for a bit" before they "posed for photos."

"Selena was playing with Elle's hair and fixing it while they chatted," the partygoer adds.

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Demi Lovato Through the Years
Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for InStyle
Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for InStyle

Lovato, meanwhile, looked "so happy" when she spotted fellow pop singer Kelly Rowland at dinner. "They hugged tight and chatted it up as soon as Kelly sat down," the partygoer says. Rowland (in Georges Chakra) later presented Lovato with the Advocate of the Year Award. Additional honorees included Cate Blanchett (Style Icon), Fanning (Breakthrough Style Star), Petra Flannery (Stylist of the Year), Harry Josh (Hairstylist of the Year), Pierpaolo Piccioli (Designer of the Year) and Zendaya (Style Star). Presenters included Kate Bosworth, Faith Hill and Brie Larson. After dinner ended, Zendaya (in Schiaparelli) went over to say hello to Lovato.

—Reporting by Alessandra Mortellaro

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