Once upon a time, One Direction was just another very good-looking boy band that took the world by storm. Ever since they were recognized in “The X Factor” back in 2010, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson became automatic A-listers.
They were just regular teens from the UK before famous record exec and American Idol star Simon Cowell had the vision to combine them together. He didn’t know that they would become one of the most historical boy bands ever. As of 2020, the band sold 70 million records internationally.
Even though they eventually went off to pursue solo careers, after they broke up, their huge fan base still survived. There are plenty of die-hard One Direction fans and IG accounts that are still out there. Though they’re not a group anymore, they have five good years where their band chemistry was off the charts.
But then the members started having public fights that led fans to raise an eyebrow. Clearly, things weren’t ok with their friendships, even though they continued to professionally work together. After announcing a hiatus in 2015, almost all of the members made public comments about how they hated spending time with each other while in 1D. Fame can be an ugly beast! Here are all the messy moments that One Direction members have had with each other.
Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson fight on Twitter
Just a couple of months after leaving the band with a long Facebook statement, Malik had an online freakout at past bandmate Louis Tomlinson. When a producer tweeted an image of himself and Malik working on Malik’s solo album, Tomlinson posted another image mocking the picture, writing, “Remember when you were 12 and you used to think those Mac filters for your pictures were cool haha! Some people still do HA!”
The producer, who goes by Naughty Boy, retorted that Tomlinson couldn’t sing but thankfully things like autotune existed for people like him. The two went on to have an epic Twitter fight.
Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne had a serious beef
In their words, they “hated” each other. Back in 2019, Payne admitted that the two hadn’t gotten along since they first met on “The X Factor”. While Tomlinson did have a rep for being bossy and he was the oldest of the group, it was often a battle of control between the two.
Payne said that the feud ultimately ended, but they hated each other for a long time and “hid it well”. Looks like a lot of secrets were well-hidden with this band. According to him, they’re close friends now, but who knows what the truth is with these guys?
Zayn Malik leaving caused bitter feelings and resentment
When Zayn left to pursue his solo career back in 2015, the trajectory of the group was forever changed. Just a week before his abrupt departure, he left the “On the Road Again” tour, giving stress as an explanation. Liam Payne told “the Late Late Show with James Corden” that they were angry and disappointed that he decided to leave. Four years late, Payne surprised fans when he said the band still hadn’t heard from Zayn since his departure, and he didn’t even say goodbye to his band members.
Zayn Malik ghosted Niall Horan
The guitarist for 1D opened up in a 2017 interview with The Sun, admitting that he didn’t have Zayn’s phone number and they hadn’t spoken in a while. He called his former bandmate “the hardest man to get in touch with” and claimed that he was “always changing his number.” In 2020, he admitted that Malik frequently ghosts him whenever he tries to reach out.
Relationship rumors between Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles
What was once a beautiful male friendship was torn apart due to public and media stirring up rumors of “Larry Stylinson”, a reference that the two might have a romantic relationship. When the band first came to be, these two members became close quickly, innocently teasing and embracing each other often.
Although they denied it, rumors kept spiraling and affecting their real-life relationship. They sadly stopped showing affection for fear that this conspiracy would happen again. This scenario had a negative effect on their friendship and though they still keep in contact, it’ll never be like it was before. Oh, toxic masculinity!
Liam Payne called the 1D breakup a relief
Things were only glamorous on the surface with this group — Liam Payne, who admitted to substance abuse, said that the pressure of putting on a perfect image created tension and mental health struggles for all the band members.
Admitting that he was drunk at most appearances, he told Men’s Health Australia that it was like “putting the Disney costume on before you step up on stage” and also admitted that they had zero control over their daily schedules, even if they were unwell or depressed.
Harry Styles throws shade at Zayn Malik on SNL
During his opening monologue, Styles made a joke about a 1D reunion, but it turns out he was just kidding. He called his bandmates his brothers, but then said: “Niall, Liam, Louis… and, uhh Ringo. Yeah, that’s it.” For those of you who don’t get it, Ringo Starr was the first member to leave the Beatles in 1968.
Fame tore them apart
Ultimately, this is the sad truth behind most of the tumultuous relationships between these bandmates. Getting bigger and bigger in such a small amount of time led to the adrenaline and joy fading away and leaving a kind of numbness in its place. Fortunately, post-breakup, they all seem to be finding their own kind of happiness, and we wish them the best of luck.
