Demi Lovato apologizes for mum's Zika virus joke

Singer Demi Lovato has apologized to fans after posting a video online of her mother making a joke about the Zika virus.

A new outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease, which causes birth defects, emerged in Brazil last year (15), and as the 2016 Summer Olympics take place in Rio de Janeiro, the Cool for the Summer singer's mom Dianna Hart made a joke about the competing athletes' exposure to the infection in a Snapchat video Demi posted on her account on Friday (12Aug16) night.

"I said, everybody down in Rio is going to get the Zika virus," Hart slurred with a strong Southern American accent in the footage, while Demi held the camera and can be heard laughing in the background.

Some fans took deep offense to the joke and lashed out at Demi and her mother for being insensitive to those who suffer from the Zika virus.

But on Saturday (13Aug16), the 23-year-old star took to Twitter to say sorry to those who were upset by the wisecrack.

"In no way did I mean to offend anyone last night," Demi wrote. "I was laughing at how southern my mom sounded, not the issue at hand. Deepest apologies."

After apologizing, Demi made it clear some of the nastier backlash she received from critics for posting the controversial Snapchat video doesn't rattle her confidence in the slightest.

"If you watch everything I do, you're still a fan.. I ain't goin nowhere b**ches," she declared, before concluding: "It's an awesome feeling when you're so content with life and yourself that hate doesn't effect you.. Feelin' good y'all."