One Direction's Biggest Scandals Revealed in Wake of Liam Payne's Death — From Gay Affair Rumors to Catty Feuds, Plagiarizing Battle and Racism Accusations
Sept. 3 2024, Published 8:00 a.m. ET
Did One Direction Plagiarize a Song?
These former boyband members went off the rails after becoming teen heartthrobs.
Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams shared a series of tweets in 2014 accusing One Direction of plagiarizing a New Found Glory song to create the band's then-new single, Steal My Girl.
New Found Glory guitarist Chad Gilbert, who was dating Williams, posted the track and his band's 2006 song It's Not Your Fault to show the similarities.
The Still Into You hitmaker said: "Beginning of that new 1D song couldn't sound any more like the beginning of @newfoundglory's 'its not your fault' but I realize that I'm gonna get hate from a very large fanbase for that.
"But really, it has more to do w/ whoever pitched or cowrote the song."
One Direction faced similar accusations in the past, including Live While We're Young and Best Song Ever being likened to The Clash's Should I Stay Or Should I Go and The Who's Baba O'Riley, respectively.
Harry Styles Allegedly Had an Affair With a Married Woman
Harry Styles originally wanted to become a lawyer.
Harry Styles sparked affair rumors with a married woman 14 years his senior.
According to The Sun, the Watermelon Sugar hitmaker allegedly started flirting with Lucy Horobin after meeting her on her Key 103 radio show.
Horobin's pal said: "She knows she shouldn't admit it, but said the sex was amazing."
Styles later dated Caroline Flack, who was 15 years older than him.
Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson Reportedly Had an Affair
Harry Styles initially led the band White Eskimo before his X Factor audition.
Amid One Direction's fame, Styles and Louis Tomlinson lived together in a North London flat. However, they reportedly stopped talking afterward and moved out of the property, igniting "split" rumors.
An insider told The Sun: "Apart from Harry and Louis, no one knows exactly what caused the falling out – they didn't even tell the other boys the full details. But it was very serious and their friendship has never recovered."
Styles and Tomlinson later ended the controversy themselves and asked Directioners not to believe the buzz.
Harry Styles Was Accused of Being a Racist
Harry Styles is a huge fan of The Beatles and Coldplay.
Styles, 30, attracted criticism when he uploaded a photo of himself wearing a traditional Native American headdress. He deleted the photo afterward, as his followers accused him of cultural appropriation.
Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik Got Involved in a Twitter War
Louis Tomlinson notably auditioned on X Factor with Plain White T's Hey There Delilah.
Zayn Malik and Tomlinson exchanged hurtful tweets after British music producer Naughty Boy posted a photo of himself with the Pillow Talk hitmaker alongside the caption, "Replace this".
Directioners assumed Naughty Boy's update was a response to Liam Payne's Instagram video in which he jokingly suggested having a new fifth member.
Tomlinson wrote: "@NaughtyBoyMusic Jesus forgot you were such an in-demand producer .... How does it feel to be riding on the back of someone else's career?"
Malik replied: "@Louis_Tomlinson remember when you had a life and stopped making bitchy comments about mine?"
Fans lambasted Malik afterward, prompting him to ask the public why he got attacked for defending himself.
Louis Tomlinson Tweeted About Those Gay Rumors
Louis Tomlinson "married" a fan while signing autographs in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Tomlinson constantly debunked the rumors about his sexuality.
At one point, he responded to a journalist who commented on the rainbow-colored Apple logo on his T-shirt.
He said: "I am in fact straight… F------ ridiculous I even have to tweet that s---."
Niall Horan Called Fans an Offensive Name
Niall Horan is the most followed One Direction member, with 40.1million followers as of February 2024.
Horan found himself in hot water when he called a group of fans a name when they asked him to stop for pictures after passing through passport control.
He said: "Remember the last time I walked down here? You shower of c----."
Following the incident, he issued an apology statement to X for his behavior.
Horan wrote: "Really sorry if I caused any offence. It was just banter with fans who I think of more as mates. But I understand that it's not a word I should be using at all."
One Direction Feuded With The Wanted
One Direction debuted with the single What Makes You Beautiful.
Two big boy bands started a feud on X after Malik responded to Max George when the latter tweeted about being "geek and proud".
Malik said: "The first step is totally acceptance. #geekoftheweek. You display just how much of a wannabe you are. : )"
The feud intensified when George wrote: "That's not very nice, @ZaynMalik. I was just starting to like you and your RnB songs, too."
Tom Parker and Tomlinson joined them, causing the feud to take an ugly turn.
Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson Recorded a Controversial Video
Zayn Malik left the band in March 2015.
In 2014, a video of Malik and Tomlinson joking about marijuana while sharing a rolled-up joint emerged.
Parents of One Direction fans were left shocked upon seeing the clip obtained by the Daily Mail.
A representative for the band said: "This matter is in the hands of our lawyers."
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Zayn Malik Received Death Threats
Zayn Malik is in the middle of a copyright infringement lawsuit over his 2020 hit Better.
Malik infuriated social media users in 2014 when he tweeted the hashtag "#FreePalestine".
After posting it, he began receiving death threats from the public – who told him to kill himself or they would do it.
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Liam Payne Devastatingly Died
Liam Payne tragically fell to his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday, October 16.
Payne tragically died after falling off of the balcony of his third floor hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday, October 16.
Buenos Aires Security Ministry's Director of Communications, Pablo Policicchio, alleged the pop star "jumped" off of the ledge and said Payne was described to him by a hotel manager as an "aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol."
The remnants of a white powdery substance was found and photographed inside the "Teardrops" singer's hotel room after his tragic death.
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