Demi Lovato has defended Lindsay Lohan after she was arrested for alleged assault.

The actress was recently detained on suspicion of attacking a female at a New York nightclub.

X Factor USA judge Lovato was irked on Twitter after reading a story about Lohan on celebrity website Perez Hilton, tweeting the blogger: "Hey how about you just leave her alone? Instead of kicking someone while they're down?"

Hilton then replied: "The media (me) is not harming Lindsay. She is doing that to herself. She needs to take #accountability before she will get better. She has been given chance after chance after chance to redeem herself and make good. Yet she's like a broken record...And she doesn't get any 'free pass' because her parents are both incredibly dysfunctional. She's an adult, not a child or teen."

He continued: "I do wish Lindsay well and hope she is able to sort out her issues for good before she ends up like her idol, Marilyn Monroe."

The Twitter debate ended on a slightly more positive vibe, with Lovato tweeting: "I know you're doing your job. But I like reading your site for the funny, uplifting random videos of babies or animals better."