One Direction member Louis Tomlinson says that he will “forever despise” Logan Paul for his interview with Liam Payne.
In an interview with The Independent published on Saturday (Oct. 18), Tomlinson spoke truthfully about the reality of fame after One Direction became a worldwide musical phenomenon.
While discussing who to blame for the issues that 1D members faced after the group split in 2016, the “Lemonade” singer pointed blame at social media influencers who became journalists.
Tomlinson specifically called out Paul, who interviewed Payne on his Impaulsive podcast in 2022.
“I fucking forever despise [Logan Paul], horrible, horrible little fucker," Tomlinson said. "I think that’s also the problem with some of this new ‘media’… I would like to think most journalists," he added, later correcting himself, "some journalists have a duty of care."
In his interview with Paul, Payne described former bandmate Zayn Malik as a “dickhead” and said that there were “many reasons why I dislike Zayn, and there’s many reasons why I’ll always, always be on his side.”
Payne also alleged that he and Tomlinson weren’t fond of each other in 1D but eventually became “best friends.” The biggest controversy came when Payne alleged that Simon Cowell formed the world-famous band around him.
In Tomlinson’s interview with The Independent, the singer conceded that Payne was accurate in his comments about his role in the band.
"It was definitely a role that was assigned to him," Tomlinson said. "That is the truth."
In 2023, Payne addressed his interview with Paul with an eight-minute video apologizing to his former bandmates. In it, he admitted that he was “angry at what was going on” around him and “frustrated“ with his career.
"It’s hard for me to watch back," Payne said. "I think in the moment you make those videos, you don’t realize the impact that your words might have on other people."
Payne died on Oct. 16, 2024, after falling from a balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires.