Demi Lovato has declared the word 'alien' an offensive term to use when referring to extra-terrestrial beings, insisting it's "a derogatory term for anything".
The singer, who came out as non-binary earlier this year and uses gender neutral they/them pronouns, revealed their stance on the word in an interview with Pedestrian following the release of docuseries Unidentified with Demi Lovato.
Lovato's new show follows the singer along with their best friend and sister as they take a roadtrip across the United States in search of UFOs.
The 'Cool for the Summer' star said they had been a "believer all their life", sharing a "tidbit of information" about the problematic nature of the word "alien".
"I think that we have to stop calling them aliens because 'aliens' is a derogatory term for anything," they said in the interview.
"That's why I like to call them ETs! So yeah, that's a little tidbit. A little information that I learned."
Lovato also hit back at "misconceptions" about UFOs, such as the idea that "they're harmful or that they'll come and take over the planet".
"I really think that if there was anything out there that would want to do that to us, it would have happened by now," they said.
"I think that if there were beings that could harm us, we would have been gone a long time ago.
"I also think that if there are civilisations that are of consciousness in other dimensions, which has given them the technology to be able to travel through space, I think that they are looking for nothing but peaceful encounters and interactions because like I said, if they wanted us gone, we would have been gone a long time ago."
Lovato may wish to take up their issues around the use of the word 'alien' with Peacock TV, who produced the show, as the term features in the show's official description.
"Demi investigates recent eyewitness alien encounters, uncovers secret government reports and conducts tests at UFO hot spots in hopes of exposing the truth," part of the blurb reads.
In one clip from the show shared on Peacock TV's YouTube channel, Lovato sings their hit song 'Skyscraper' to an "extraterrestrial entity" in a "haunted property", after deeming it to be a spirit who has past trauma with men.
