[EXCLUSIVE] ‘Modern Family’ star is replacing Demi Lovato in NBC’s sitcom ‘Hungry’!
Ariel Winter, 24, has been signed up for the lead role in Demi Lovato’s forthcoming sitcom, Hungry, as Lovato purportedly had to step down from the cast due to scheduling conflicts.
“Demi Lovato replaced by ‘Modern Family’ star in NBC’s ‘Hungry’ sitcom” Page Six Tweeted.
However, the ‘Let it go’ singer will still produce the show alongside manager Scooter Braun, revealed a source.
“It appears as though @ddlovato won’t be starring in the upcoming NBC sitcom ‘Hungry’ but she, along with manager @scooterbraun, will remain executive producers. 💪🏻💛”, Animated Times Tweeted.
The sitcom that features a group of friends belonging to a support group and helping each other as they seek love, success, and perfect food in the fridge that’s gonna make it all better, is penned down by Suzanne Martin and will be directed by legendary media personality, James Burrows.
Other actors tapped in to join the cast include Valerie Bertinelli, Ryan McPartlin, Ashley D. Kelley, Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, and Anna Akana. The project was first announced last year in January.
Veteran sitcom star chef Bertinelli, 61, was initially spotted shooting a scraped version of the show’s pilot episode in Central Park in July 2021.
Lovato was set to play a food stylist role who is trying to achieve a balance between her career and dating life. Bertinelli plays Lovato’s mother, Lisa, who is also the owner of the restaurant and has been dealing with personal issues.
Demi’s leaving marked the part for the former child star of the ‘Modern Family. However, the role seems more fit to Lovato as it focuses on body image issues and eating disorders. In the early years of their career, Lovato dealt with mental health issues, bulimia and anorexia. The singer now has shifted their focus to spreading body positivity.
In 2017, the singer created a documentary, ‘Simply Complicated’, in which they discussed how “food was the biggest challenge in my life” and opened up about their eating habits. “When I was in a relationship with Wilmer [Valderrama] I went three years without purging and when we broke up that’s one of the first things I did,” Lovato said. “The less I have to think about food, the easier it is to go about having a normal life and I don’t want to let anybody down so when I do have moments when I slip up, I feel very ashamed.”
