After news broke that 21 Savage was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), claiming he is from the U.K., many digested the news with laughter. Most people assume the rapper is from Atlanta, so their shock at his reportedly being from the U.K. sparked all kinds of memes — all of which are inappropriate in light of the serious circumstances and potential deportation 21 now faces. When Demi Lovato shared one of those memes, the backlash she faced was also totally inappropriate, and potentially harmful. On February 3, Demi shared a meme on Twitter, joking that 21 Savage wrote his verses with a feather quill pen, apparently referring to his U.K. roots. People quickly responded to Demi's post, but rather than calling her out for seeming to joke about a man's arrest, many brought up Demi's former drug use and recent overdose. Demi has since deactivated her Twitter, but addressed the controversy on her Instagram Story. "Wasn't laughing at anyone getting deported. I know that's not a joke," Demi wrote on Instagram. "Not have I ever laughed at that. The meme I posted/was talking about was of him being writing with a feather pen. Sorry if I offended anyone. But it's no excuse to laugh at someone's addiction let alone their OD." She went on to explain on Instagram Story that what she was laughing at was that no one knew 21 was British, and apologized again. Demi also posted some of the responses to her tweet, showing how many people made a joke about her drug use in response; some even encouraged her to use drugs again. Posting memes about anyone being arrested by ICE isn't OK. But it's also not OK to make light of someone's substance use disorder or encourage someone with that disorder to use drugs again. While Demi may have been wrong to post the meme, she's absolutely right in calling people out for using her substance-use disorder against her. In January, Demi celebrated six months of sobriety after relapsing and having an apparent drug overdose in July. To mark the occasion, Demi posted a cake that her team gave her, and showed off a chip that said "Six Months." If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use, reach out to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Hotline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). Let us slide into your DMs. Sign up for the Teen Vogue daily email. Get the Teen Vogue Take. Sign up for the Teen Vogue weekly email.<doc-sep>Bebe Rexha's defense of Demi Lovato comes after the singer shared a tweet that poked fun at 21 Savage's recent arrest Bebe Rexha is standing up for Demi Lovato. On Monday, Rexha, 29, shared a tweet defending Lovato, 26, after the singer was criticized for making comments about rapper 21 Savage. Get push notifications with news, features and more. “To all the people who talked s— to Demi you’re F—IN DISGUSTING,” Rexha wrote. “Attacking someone that is 6 months sober about her personal issues with drugs and mental health over a tweet is LOW.” Lovato found herself in hot water Sunday night when she tweeted, “So far 21 Savage memes have been my favorite part of the Super Bowl.” The 26-year-old rapper, born Shayaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was arrested Sunday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after reportedly overstaying his visa. ICE spokesman Brian Cox told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that 21 Savage is an “unlawfully present United Kingdom national” who entered the country legally as a teenager in July 2005 on a visa, which expired the following year. Bebe-Rexha-demi Credit: Bebe Rexha / TWITTER ICE and representatives for 21 Savage did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment. In addition, Lovato shared a meme referencing 21 Savage’s newly revealed British citizenship, sharing a photo of someone writing with a quill pen with the caption, “This how 21 Savage be writing his verses.” Lovato later explained that she was in no way mocking 21 Savage’s arrest. “This is the s— I’m laughing at… not the fact that anyone is getting deported,” Lovato wrote in reference to the plethora of memes made after the news surfaced. However, fans and fellow musicians didn’t find it funny. Rapper Wale wrote, “Why is somebody freedom funny… I don’t get the joke.” 21-savage 21 Savage | Credit: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images Wale also wrote a second tweet, referring to the fans who supported Lovato after her overdose last summer. “A lot of people were sending you love light, prayers etc. When people were making jokes about u at a rough time. A lot of people. Bless up.” Lovato then deleted her Twitter account after sharing the backlash she received over 21 Savage. “She’s a hypocrite let’s pull out the heroin memes and see if this bitch doesn’t get emotional,” one commenter wrote. Another added, “wonder if she saw the memes about her lol.” “Wasn’t laughing at anyone getting deported. I know that’s not a joke… not have I EVER laughed at that,” Lovato wrote on her Instagram Story. “The meme I posted/was talking about was of him writing with a feather pen. Sorry if I offended anyone. But it’s no excuse to laugh at someone’s addiction let alone their OD.” On July 24, Lovato was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai in L.A. following the overdose at her Hollywood Hills home. She remained in the hospital for nearly two weeks before being released to seek in-patient treatment. The Disney Channel alum first broke her silence on social media in August, when she shared an update on her health following her hospitalization. (The post has since been deleted.) RELATED: Demi Lovato Breaks Silence After Overdose and Hospitalization: ‘I Will Keep Fighting’ “I have always been transparent about my journey with addiction. What I’ve learned is that this illness is not something that disappears or fades with time. It is something I must continue to overcome and have not done yet,” Lovato wrote. “I want to thank God for keeping me alive and well,” she added, before praising her fans for standing by her through the difficult time.” 24th MTV Europe Music Awards, Arrivals, SSE Arena Wembley, London, UK - 12 Nov 2017 Demi Lovato | Credit: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock Rexha’s defense of Lovato comes after “Sorry Not Sorry” singer applauded her fellow singer for getting candid about sizeism and red carpet dressing. Last week, Rexha put the fashion industry on blast after alleging that some design houses refused to collaborate with her on a Grammys dress because she’s “too big.” Lovato praised Rexha in the comment section of her Instagram post writing, “F—ing preach!! !” “Love this and you for speaking your mind and using your voice!!! !”<doc-sep>
Like many others, Demi Lovato was shocked to learn that 21 Savage is from the U.K., but when she commented on it, haters fired back with insults about her addiction and 2018 overdose. See her response here. Demi Lovato deleted her Twitter on Feb. 3, after hateful comments began flooding her mentions. The controversy began when Demi tweeted a meme about 21 Savage that read, “This is how 21 Savage be writing verses,” and featured a photo of someone using a quill pen. The meme was created after 21 Savage was arrested by immigration officials, and ICE revealed that he was actually a U.K. national living in the United States illegally since 2006. After his arrest, 21 Savage was detained as officials worked out removal proceedings. Unfortunately, Demi faced immediate backlash for posting the meme, and haters really hit below the belt. Hundreds of comments began flooding in with critics calling Demi out for overdosing on heroin last summer, and many of them were super hateful. Once Demi deleted her Twitter, similar comments began pouring in on her Instagram page. “Go shoot some more heroin Demi,” one person wrote, while another added, “She’s a hypocrite let’s pull out the heroin memes and see if this b**** doesn’t get emotional.” Although Demi seemingly intended to take a social media break to diffuse the situation, she couldn’t bite her tongue for long, and took to her Instagram Story to share her side of the situation. “Wasn’t laughing at anyone getting deported,” she explained. “I know that’s not a joke…not have I EVER laughed at that. The meme I posted/was talking about was him writing with a feather pen. Sorry if I offended anyone. But it’s no excuse to laugh at someone’s addiction, let alone their OD.” She later added, “Lastly, I wasn’t making fun of anything having to do with deportation or even anything against him. I was laughing at who the f*** knew 21 was British? Literally no one. That’s it. It doesn’t go deeper than that. I’m sorry if I upset people truly.” Demi nearly died after overdosing at her home in July, and she went on to complete three months in rehab. She recently celebrated six months of sobriety, but it’s no secret that her drug addiction will always be a constant battle in her life. Meanwhile, 21 Savage’s lawyer released a statement explaining that the rapper is working with officials to “clear up any misunderstanding” about the arrest. It is unclear when his case will proceed to an immigration judge at this time.