Simply Complicated chronicles both the recording of Tell Me You Love Me as well as events in Lovato's life and career that she had not previously disclosed or discussed extensively, including the beginning of her career on Disney Channel and various personal struggles with bipolar disorder and addiction. Lovato also admitted to being dishonest about the initial outcome of her recovery in a previous documentary, Demi Lovato: Stay Strong (2012), and revealed she was in fact under the influence of cocaine while being interviewed about her sobriety for that film.