From throwing insults to talking about a reunion, here's everything One Direction members have said since their hiatus
Christina Dambrosio,Paige DiFiore
- One Direction shot to stardom in 2010 after competing on "The X Factor."
- After member Zayn Malik left in 2015, the band continued as a four-piece but later that year they announced they'd be going on a hiatus.
- Since the hiatus, Malik has spoken negatively about his time in One Direction, saying he made no friends and didn't like the music they created.
- Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson have spoken about a possible reunion, but have not given details.
- Recently, Liam Payne said he and his bandmates are working on something special for One Direction's 10-year anniversary in July but he didn't say whether or not Malik would be involved.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
One Direction was one of the most popular bands of the 2010s, producing multiple top-10 hits and five full-length albums. They sold out tours in stadiums and arenas around the globe.
The band was formed in 2010 on the UK version of "The X Factor" and it is comprised of five guys who auditioned as solo artists. The members include Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson.
After years of reaching milestones and breaking records, the band started to slow down. In early 2015, it was announced on Facebook that Zayn Malik would be leaving the band. The four remaining members released a final album and announced an extended hiatus in August 2015.
Since the announcement of the so-called hiatus, members have gone on to pursue solo interests and have commented on potential reunions as well as their current relationships with their bandmates.
Here's everything members of One Direction have said about the band and each other since announcing their hiatus.
Read the original article on InsiderTomlinson has continued to speak about his strained relationship with Malik.
In October 2019, the singer told Metro that he didn't think he was ready to decide whether or not he could forgive Malik.
"I just don't think I am mature enough, even in my own head, to give that a real answer. At the moment, I am still pretty mad about the whole thing," he told the publication.
"I don't think [Zayn] handled it very well. But never say never. Who knows? He chatted a lot of s--- in the early days. I thought One Direction were pretty good," he added.
In January 2020, Tomlinson spoke about how often he speaks to his bandmates and he mentioned the idea of a reunion.
"I think all the boys would agree with this. There's been moments in all of our lives where naturally some of us speak to others more than others," he told Cosmopolitan. "I wouldn't say I'm closest to any of the boys. Recently, I've probably spoken to Liam 10 times as much as I spoke to the other lads. Six months ago, that was Niall."
In terms of reuniting One Direction, he told the publication he's not exactly opposed to the idea — but that there is sort of a time limit.
"Anything over 30 sounds f------ old to me right now," he said.
This gives the band about two years or so to reunite seeing as the singer is currently 28 years old and will turn 29 on December 24 of this year.
In April 2020, Payne said he and his bandmates were working on a special 10-year anniversary project.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Payne said that One Direction is trying to plan something special for their 10-year anniversary this July.
The singer said he wasn't sure how many details he was allowed to share yet, and he did not say whether or not Malik will be involved in this special project.
"We've got a 10-year anniversary coming up so we've all been speaking together a lot over the last few weeks which has been really nice," Payne told the publication.
"To hear a lot of people's voices and seeing old content and different things that we haven't seen for a long time or never seen before, it's very interesting," he added, noting that it's been really great to connect with his bandmates again.
In that same interview, Horan said he and his former bandmates don't really talk to one another about their music.
Horan told British GQ that he and his bandmates never send each other their singles or album tracks and ask for feedback.
"It's weird. We never do that. They all text when it comes out, but beforehand, no. We'll be chatting away, but we never say, 'What do you think of this?'" he said, adding that it has nothing to do with competition.
Horan explained that they don't even tell one another when they're planning to release music, so they end up "bombarding the charts at the same time."
"People keep saying to me, 'Is that some sort of publicity stunt, that you've all had albums out at the same time?' Literally, no. [It's] because we're all used to that same cycle. You bring out a song around September or October and then an album at the end of the year, then tour the year after. That's what we did in the band," he added.
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In March 2020, Horan spoke about his relationship with his bandmates.
"As long as I've known him, Zayn's been the hardest man to stay in touch with. Then we had a falling out a few years ago and, to be honest, that's just the dynamic: You have people you are friends with and people you are not," Horan told British GQ, adding that he stays in touch with the rest of his bandmates, though.
"We don't get to see each other as much as we'd like to, but we try. I talk to Louis a lot. It's the lads with the kids that you try to keep in touch with especially, just to see how they are," he added.
In that same interview, Horan said he has nothing but respect for his former bandmates.
Speaking to Billboard, Horan said he sees Tomlinson and Tomlinson's son, Freddie, often. He said they live near each other in Los Angeles and see each other "all the time."
He also spoke about his plans to hang out with Styles and Payne and shrugged off questions about Malik's shady comments: "I know what Zayn's like — outspoken, and fair play to him."
That same year, Horan said he sometimes feels as though he is still in One Direction
In an interview with Billboard, Horan said he sometimes feels like something is missing when touring solo as opposed to in a band.
He said, "You're sitting in an airport lounge, they call you for a plane, and you don't stand up initially because you're waiting on everyone else, you know? 'Oh, Louis'll be back from the toilet in a minute.'"
In 2017, Niall Horan shared that he doesn't regularly keep in touch with Malik but he has kept in touch with some of his other bandmates.
Niall Horan told The Sun that Malik is the "hardest man to get in touch with" due to the fact that he is constantly changing his phone number.
He did say that he met Payne's son, Bear, and brought him gifts. He also mentioned that he'd been to see one of Styles' solo gigs and got a drink with him.
He also mentioned a possible band reunion in that interview, saying, "It's only been like two years or whatever so I'm not worried about it. I'm not rushing it and I'm not worried that it won't happen."
Payne has also said he thinks Malik enjoys making music, but not "what comes with it."
In an April 2020 interview with the Daily Star online, Payne spoke about how he thinks Malik is very into music, but not so much the typical responsibilities that can come with being a famous artist.
"He likes to make songs and his songs do very well but, at the same time, he doesn't really like to go out and perform the songs," Payne said of Malik, adding that his former bandmate isn't a huge fan of "doing the press stuff" that often comes with being a musician.
"I remember Zayn telling us the story that it was his mum got him to go to the audition the day he didn't want to go and that was literally what we saw all the way through One Direction," Payne added, referencing Malik's reluctance to appear on "The X Factor" in the first place.
Payne has said Malik was the best singer in One Direction.
"For Zayn, he loves music and he's an amazing talent. He genuinely was the best singer in One Direction, hand on heart, out of all of us," Payne also told GQ.
He said he tried to reach out to Malik, but got to a point where he "wouldn't know where to begin."
"I hope he has good people around him, but I don't at this stage think it's anything the rest of us can solve," Payne added.
In December 2019, Payne said he's the most well-endowed member of One Direction and spoke about how he recently reunited with Styles after years of not seeing him.
While playing the game "Plead the Fifth" on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," Payne said he reunited with Styles after a few years of not speaking to him.
"We spoke about a number of things, we hadn't seen each other for three years. Literally I hadn't seen him once, we hadn't spoken or anything. He was pretty much the same boy that I left him. We spoke about kids and happiness and all sorts of stuff," he told Cohen.
Later on in the game, Payne chose to stay mum about reports that he dated supermodel Naomi Campbell, which then forced him to answer a question about which member of 1D is the "most well-endowed."
"I'd have to say myself, I'm going to say me. That's almost like pleading the Fifth," he said.
He also said he and his bandmates have had their differences, but he found it "strange" that Malik never said goodbye.
Payne also told GQ that he and his bandmates have always had their differences, and that he still thinks about things he'd do differently but that it's "all part of growing up."
"Being in One Direction was such a schoolyard mentality somehow — the One Direction University, I call it. Everyone has stuff they've said at parties they wished they hadn't but, for us, the difference was that it was all happening in front of the world," Payne told GQ.
He said now that he's older, certain things don't bother him as much but Malik leaving the band was tough.
"I think with Zayn's particular exit and the way he chose to go, we haven't really heard from him since he left. He didn't even say goodbye, if I am being honest. It was a really sordid scenario, from our side certainly. A bit strange. It's difficult," he added.
Payne said going solo was tough but fun, and that he and his bandmates are finding their place in the music world.
In a November 2019 interview with GQ, Payne said "everything changed" once One Direction parted ways.
"New teams, new managers, new labels. Building those working relationships can be tricky. You also become the boss of your own s---, and I was 21, 22 when I first started doing my own thing, so it's all a bit scary and can be a bit lonely," he told the publication, saying the process is a lot of fun, too.
"Now the band members have all worked our way through this first couple of years, you can kind of see everyone's finding their own feet. Take Harry [Styles] at the moment. You know, he's just found what I think is his sound and exactly where he wants to be, which took him a little minute to get into since he had his last album out," he added.
The singer also mentioned that a few years after the band went on a break, he went into therapy to cope.
"That first therapy session and being like, 'I don't even know what I like or anything about myself' — it was pretty scary stuff," he told GQ.
Also in 2019, Payne implied that he wasn't close to most of his bandmates.
In the same December 2019 interview with "Sunday Brunch," Payne said he recently saw Styles for the first time in three years and said he was "lovely."
He also seemed to allude that he didn't get along with everyone in the band.
"We literally for five years we were in each other's pockets," he said. "The thing I always describe it as is if you imagine an office — and One Direction was my office — there's one person you don't really get along with, one person you don't know very much about, one person you hang out with all the time, and someone you're sort of friends with."
In 2019, Payne said a One Direction reunion is "at least" two years away.
In December 2019, Payne told the "Sunday Brunch" radio show that he thinks the band will get back together "at some point."
"'I think we will for sure. I don't know when that is yet, but all I know is that there are at least two years because everyone's released new music and you have to go and promo. There are at least two years," he added.
Payne has also called himself the "anti-christ version" of Styles.
Per E!, in a December 2019 interview with The Face magazine, Payne spoke about whether or not he'd recently been in touch with his former bandmates.
"I speak to Louis quite regularly," he told the publication. "And I feel like I know where I stand with Niall."
"But with Harry, there's so much mystery around who he's become. I was looking at some pictures of him the other day, and I just thought: 'I don't know what more I'd say to him other than, 'Hello' and 'How are you?'" I mean, look at the stuff I put out and the stuff Harry puts out. Polar opposite," he added, referencing Styles' soft-rock music and his own hip-hop-oriented work.
"I'm like the anti-christ version of what Harry is," he told the publication.
That same year, Payne said he'd like to collaborate with Styles.
During a November 2019 interview with the "Hits Radio Breakfast Show," Payne said he'd be interested in collaborating with Styles — even though he once said he wasn't a huge fan of his music.
"From the first song off his album, I feel like me and Harry could do a really cool song together," he said on the show, speaking of Styles' album "Fine Line" and the first single from it, "Lights Up."
"There could be a good mix between the two things because the first song was kind of funky so I feel like we could break down into some sort of hip-hop-R&B thing halfway though, and have like a little megamix," Payne explained.
In 2019, Payne spoke about how "dumb luck" played a role in 1D's success and how the fame could get toxic.
"It literally was the perfect storm," Payne told Men's Health magazine in 2019, speaking of One Direction's success. He said so many scenarios had to fall into place for the band to be as successful as it was and a lot of it came down to "dumb luck."
He also spoke about how the group's fame took a toll on him and impacted his mental health.
"When you're doing hundreds and hundreds of [concerts] and it's the same 22 songs at the same time every single day, even if you're not happy, you've got to go out there," he told the publication. "It's almost like putting the Disney costume on before you step up on stage and underneath the Disney costume I was pissed (drunk) quite a lot of the time because there was no other way to get your head around what was going on."
He said it was fun but parts of being famous and being on tour "just got a little bit toxic."
In 2019, Payne told a fan on Twitter to stop asking him about the hiatus.
Payne, who has had success with solo songs like "Strip That Down," and "Get Low," recently responded to a fan on Twitter when they asked him about a reunion.
The fan reportedly shared two screenshots of conflicting reports of a reunion tour, asking Payne if he could make up his mind.
Payne responded by writing, "Can people stop passing blame to me about this I get asked this ridiculous question 500x a day (exaggeration)... so I just say whatever guess I have at the time... but still this band has 3 other members you want the answer ask them."
That same year, during a speech, Payne made a joke about Malik's departure from the band.
While presenting friend James Corden with the Man Of The Year award at Glamour's Women Of The Year ceremony in 2017, Payne told a story about the band Corden was in when he was younger.
Corden's band apparently had a slogan, which Payne followed up with "[One Direction] never had a slogan, but if we had, Zayn might have stayed."
In 2017, Liam Payne said he isn't a fan of Harry's song, "Sign of the Times."
In a video for Music Choice, Liam Payne was asked about some of his bandmates' solo music.
He said Styles' single "Sign of the Times"' is not "[his] sort of music" and isn't something he'd listen to but he respects Harry's taste and thinks he "did a great job of doing what he wanted to do."
"He'd say the same thing about me," Payne said of Styles. Payne creates hip-hop-style music whereas Style's solo tracks have classic-rock vibes.
Payne said Horan's solo single "This Town" was "great."
In 2019, Tomlinson also spoke about his and Malik's strained friendship.
In December 2016, Tomlinson's' mom Johannah Deakin died of leukemia. He was previously slated to perform on "The X Factor" just days after her death so he stuck to his commitment and performed his first solo song in her honor.
He said all of his former bandmates except for Malik came to see him perform. Tomlinson later spoke about the incident on the "The Dan Wootton Interview" podcast in 2019.
"... All the boys had agreed to come to that performance and he didn't show so that really bugged me ... It was just seeing everyone there — Harry, Niall, and Liam — that was what I needed that night, that support," he said. "So on the other end of the spectrum it kind of really showed."
In January 2020, Tomlinson said he loves One Direction
During a January 2020 interview with Rolling Stone, Tomlinson was asked why he never really complains about or renounces One Direction.
He explained that he absolutely loves the band and still misses his time with his former bandmates.
"First, I absolutely f---ing love the band. I'm super proud about where I've come from. At the end of the day, I'm from Doncaster, and the band gave me such a nice opportunity," he told the publication."
He also said he thinks it's a "desperate attempt to try and get cool points" when people leave their bands and trash talk it afterward.
"I f---ing love the boys, and I love everything we've done together. And I still miss my time with them. I think any of the boys would be lying if they said otherwise. It was a special time in our lives, definitely," he added.
In 2019, Louis Tomlinson said he thinks a 1D reunion is "inevitable" and he wasn't ready for the band to split when it did.
In a 2019 interview with ODE Entertainment, Louis Tomlinson said he feels a One Direction reunion is "inevitable" but he doesn't know when exactly it'll happen.
In a later interview with "Build" that same year, the singer said he wasn't really ready for the band to go on a break.
"It surprised me to a certain degree, so I didn't have any plan in place or anything like that," he added. "I think I just thought that I was going to carry on writing for other people, but not necessarily for myself."
He said he ended up writing a lot of songs and liking some, so he decided to pursue a solo singing career.
On the nine-year anniversary of the band being formed, Tomlinson sent his love to his bandmates.
"So many incredible memories. Days like today are days for reflection, so proud looking back! Thank you for ALWAYS having our backs! Big love to the lads! #9YearsOfOneDirection," the musician tweeted on July 23, 2019 — the ninth anniversary of the band being formed.
That same year, Tomlinson said he thought he would have a harder time than his bandmates trying to work with major names in the music industry.
When beginning his own solo career, Tomlinson expressed uncertainty in his ability to team up with any superstar collaborators.
In 2017, he told The Guardian, "I couldn't say to you now that I could definitely get a superstar writer in a session with me," later adding, "Harry [Styles] won't struggle with any of that."
Tomlinson has already released music with Bebe Rexha and Steve Aoki and his bandmates have also had created hit songs with famed artists.
Styles has collaborated with Stevie Nicks, Ariana Grande, and Kacey Musgraves; Malik has collaborated with artists like Taylor Swift and Sia; Horan has worked with Julia Michaels and Maren Morris; and Payne has worked with stars like Rita Ora and Zedd.
In 2017, Louis Tomlinson said he was feeling more confident than ever just before the band's hiatus.
During their time on "The X Factor," Louis Tomlinson had minimal screen time. He didn't sing any solo parts on the show and was never the band's frontman. Over the years, he began to perform more solos on the band's albums and during live tours.
In 2017, he told The Guardian, "In the last year of One Direction, I was probably the most confident I ever was. And then it was: 'OK, hiatus!'"
In 2020, Styles spoke about Malik leaving One Direction.
In March 2020, Styles said that, looking back, he doesn't necessarily think Malik's leaving the band was a bad thing.
"I don't know if I could say it's something he shouldn't have done. I just didn't feel that way. So, it's hard for me to condemn it, 'cause I don't," he said on "The Howard Stern Show," according to E!. "Especially in hindsight looking at it now, the last thing that I would've wanted is for him to have stayed there if he didn't want to be there."
While hosting "Saturday Night Live" in November of 2019, Styles made a joke about Malik's leaving the band.
During his turn hosting and performing on "Saturday Night Live," Styles made a reference to his boy-band days, saying, "I love those guys, they're my brothers: Niall, Liam, Louis, and, uh, Ringo, yeah, that's it."
By swapping out Malik's name with Ringo Starr's, Styles referenced how Malik was the first person to leave One Direction — sort of how Starr was technically the first member to leave The Beatles.
In 2017, Styles said a 1D reunion could eventually come about if everyone was in the right mindset.
Styles told Another Man magazine that a One Direction reunion would never be ruled out. He thinks it is good for the members to be "exploring different things," but that if a reunion were to happen when everyone felt comfortable, it would be "amazing."
Styles has also explained why he felt the band's hiatus was best for their long-term success.
In that same 2017 interview, when asked why the band agreed to take a hiatus, Styles told Rolling Stone he "didn't want to exhaust [the band's] fan base" and spoke for the other members saying, "We all thought too much of the group to let that happen."
Styles went on to entertain ideas of a future reunion, saying, "I love the band and would never rule out anything in the future. The band changed my life, gave me everything."
Harry Styles responded to some of Malik's comments in 2017.
The youngest member of One Direction, Harry Styles, has since released a critically acclaimed album, gone on a world tour, and co-chaired the 2019 Met Gala.
Since the band's split, he has been relatively quiet about his relationships with the other members of One Direction, but he has mentioned his distant relationship with one member in particular, Malik.
In a 2017 profile for Rolling Stone, Styles responded to Malik saying One Direction's music wasn't "cool."
"I think it's a shame he felt that way ... but I never wish anything but luck to anyone doing what they love. If you're not enjoying something and need to do something else, you absolutely should do that. I'm glad he's doing what he likes, and good luck to him," said Styles.
Malik has also said, toward the end, he felt he wasn't able to enjoy the experience of being in the band.
Speaking with Vogue UK in 2018, Malik referred to One Direction as a "machine."
He discussed the band's sudden rise to fame and rigorous touring schedule saying, "I think back to the performances towards the end when we were in stadiums — I wasn't really ever able to enjoy the experience. The machine had gone too fast."
That same year, Malik told GQ he felt his vision was not aligned with the band's.
In a 2018 cover story, Malik explained he felt underrepresented in terms of the music One Direction was producing. He told GQ, "My vision didn't necessarily always go with what was going on within the band."
In contrast to the pop music of One Direction was known for producing, Malik released an R&B album in 2016.
In 2018, Malik has said he didn't make a single friend during his time in One Direction.
In an interview with GQ, Malik said he "didn't make any friends from the band." He explained, "It's not something that I'm afraid to say. I definitely have issues trusting people.
This came as a surprise to fans because in the Facebook post announcing his departure, Malik wrote that he had "four friends for life."
In 2017, Malik said he and Harry Styles didn't really talk when they were in the band together. He also said he didn't really talk to any of his bandmates anymore.
Malik told Us Weekly he and Styles were not close while they were in the band together. He said he "never really spoke to Harry" and that he had never been under the impression they would keep in touch after Malik left the band.
That same year, he told Billboard that he doesn't really talk to anyone in the band anymore.
"Our relationships have definitely changed since we were in a band together, but I think that's just life," Malik told the publication. "Everybody grows up — two of the guys have got kids now. But no, I don't talk to any of them, really."
In 2016, Malik said he never wanted to be in One Direction.
In 2016, in his first solo, on-camera interview with radio station Beats 1, Malik said he never wanted to be in One Direction.
"I think I always wanted to go, from like the first year, really," he told the interviewer. "I never really wanted to be there, like in the band."
"I realized the direction we were going in — mind the pun — with the music, I instantly realized it wasn't for me because I realized I couldn't put any input in," he added.
In 2015, Malik seemed to suggest One Direction's music wasn't "real."
In 2015, Malik teased the release of new music on Twitter. He shared the announcement along with "#RealMusic."
Many fans interpreted this as a jab at One Direction's discography, feeling as though Malik meant to imply the music he had previously made with One Direction was fake or not quite up to his standards.
In 2015, Malik said he wouldn’t listen to One Direction’s music.
After leaving One Direction, Malik went on the record to say he isn't a fan of the band's music.
He told Rolling Stone, "That's not music I would listen to ...Would you listen to One Direction at a party with your girl? I wouldn't. To me, that's not an insult, that's me as a 22-year-old man."
"As much as I was in that band, and I loved everything that we did, that's not music that I would listen to. I want to make music that I think is cool s---. I don't think that's too much to ask for," he added.
In his first interview after leaving the band, Zayn Malik called One Direction's music "generic as f---."
In his first solo interview since leaving the band, Zayn Malik told Fader magazine that One Direction's music was "generic as f---" and that it didn't fit his style.
"Whenever I would suggest something, it was like it didn't fit us. There was just a general conception that the management already had of what they want for the band and I just wasn't convinced with what we were selling," he told the publication.
He said he wasn't 100% behind the band's music and that the group was recording what they were told would sell.
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