Liam Payne clarifies controversial comments about ‘brother’ Zayn Malik
Liam Payne and Zayn Malik certainly have a whole lot of history.
The “Strip That Down” singer took to Twitter Thursday to clear the air after fans dragged him just hours earlier for saying he dislikes his former One Direction bandmate.
“Guys – I wouldn’t normally comment on this stuff but when its your family it’s hard to let it slide,” Payne, 28, began his two-part pseudo-apology.
“They mentioned a specific incident involving Zayn which I responded to – but listening back maybe I didn’t articulate myself as well as I could have,” he admitted of his appearance on Logan Paul’s “Impaulsive” podcast Tuesday.
“I was saying that there will always be things we disagree on but that I will always, always be on his side,” Payne concluded. “That’s family. Zayn is my brother and I will stand by him forever.”
During his interview with the controversial YouTuber, Payne said, “There’s many reasons why I dislike Zayn, and there’s many reasons why I’ll always, always be on his side.”
The “Familiar” coroner noted that his parents were “overly supportive to the point where it’s annoying at times,” while Malik, 29, “had a different upbringing in that sense.”
“You can always look at the man for where he is and say, ‘Oh, yeah, whatever, that guy’s a d–k,’ right?'” he continued. “But at the end of the day, once you understand what he’s been through to get to that point, and also whether or not he actually even wanted to be there [in the band].”
Payne was apparently referencing an alleged September 2021 altercation in which Malik was accused of “striking” then-girlfriend Gigi Hadid’s mother, Yolanda Hadid. The “Pillowtalk” singer has denied the claim and pleaded no contest to harassment charges.
“I don’t agree with any of his actions. I can’t commend some of the things that he’s done. I can’t be on his side for that,” Payne continued on the podcast. “And listen, what I can say is I understand, and your only hope is that at some point in their life, the person on the other end of the phone wants to receive the help that you’re willing to give them.”
Given One Direction members including Harry Styles and Niall Horan have declined to discuss their former bandmates’ personal lives in previous interviews, fans were outraged that Payne would discuss Malik so publicly.
“if liam payne talking s–t about zayn on a f–king logan paul podcast isn’t an indicator as to how irrelevant his career is then idk what is,” one critic tweeted.
Others took aim at Payne’s claim that his 2017 debut solo single, “Strip That Down,” “outsold everybody within the band.”
“Liam…baby we can easily fact check,” one user wrote, referencing the fact that tunes such as Harry Styles’ Grammy-winning “Watermelon Sugar” and Malik’s “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” have surpassed Payne’s streams.
“NOBODY and i mean NOBODY has ever said ‘put on that new liam payne song,’” another fan quipped.
Malik, Styles, 28, Horan, 28, and Louis Tomlinson, 30, have not publicly responded to Payne’s interview.
