It’s no secret that the One Direction boys aren’t all the best of friends, which is why it’s not surprising that Liam Payne has said there are “many reasons why I dislike Zayn.”

Liam opened up about his relationship with his former bandmate on the latest episode of Logan Paul’s podcast. Zayn Malik infamously departed the One Direction in 2015, just one year before the boy band split up indefinitely.

The subject of Zayn arose when Logan brought up the 2020 feud the singer had with his brother, Jake Paul, which led Zayn’s girlfriend at the time, Gigi Hadid, to call Jake “irrelevant” and her then-partner “a respectful king.”

Then Zayn hit her mother. Gigi and Zayn split up after he allegedly pushed her mother, Yolanda Hadid, during a fight.  Zayn pleaded no contest to four counts of harassment and was sentenced to 90 days’ probation for each count.

“There’s many reasons why I dislike Zayn and there’s many reasons why I’ll always, always be on his side,” Liam told Logan on the podcast. “If I had had to go through what he went through, with his growth and whatever else… My parents are overly supportive to the point where it’s annoying at times. Zayn had a different upbringing in that sense.”

Revealing to Logan that he himself felt “misunderstood,” Liam offered a considered position on Zayn’s experience. “You can always look at the man for where he is and say, ‘Oh yeah, whatever, that guy’s a d**k,'” he said. “But at the end of the day, once you’re understanding what he’s been through to get to that point — and also whether or not he wanted to be there.”

Liam continued: “Listen, 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. What I can say is I understand and your only hope is that at some point in their life, the person at the other end of the phone wants to receive the help that you’re willing to give them.”

Love Pop?

Get the latest Pop news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more

We know what everyone reading this is thinking: what accent does Liam whip out for his Logan Paul podcast appearance? The answer is a bit of everything as usual.

The singer had the world confused earlier this year when he unveiled a bizarre accent on the red carpet when asked for his take on the Will Smith and Chris Rock Oscars incident.

He later addressed the viral clip in an Instagram Live video: “I’m good at accents, I pride myself on them!” he insisted. “I just wish sometimes I could do my own.”

For more on this topic, follow the Pop Observer.

Check out Liam Payne’s full interview below:

YouTube VideoPlay

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine