Liam Payne Says One Direction Was Formed Around His Face

Is Liam Payne single-handedly tanking his career? Well… probably.

In an interview on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast that’s taking the internet by storm, Payne revealed some shocking allegations about his former boy band, One Direction.

In one clip, Payne boldly claimed his first song, 2017’s “Strip That Down,” amassed “1 billion streams” and “outsold everybody within the band.”

Watch Liam Payne’s “Strip That Down” Music Video:

Naturally, this statement prompted fans to pull up receipts lightning fast, as user @heartstprry did with this screenshot:

Yet, the wild claims didn’t stop there.

In another clip from the podcast, Payne said “part of the reason One Direction was made was because of Simon’s promise to me that in two years ‘I’ll make this work for you.’ So he kind of started with my face and then worked around [me].”

In response, one fan tweeted, “No one on this planet thinks of Liam Payne first when thinking of One Direction.” Ouch.

Payne then went on to say that there are “many reasons” why he “dislikes” bandmate Zayn Malik, before comparing Malik’s upbringing to his own and alleging Malik’s parents weren’t as supportive of their son as Payne’s were.

And just before that, he threw shade at Malik while talking about a previous spat between Malik and Jake Paul — podcast host Logan’s brother — that took place at a boxing match back in 2020.

“[Gigi] tweeted something about ‘get yourself a respectful man’ or something [about Jake]. That one didn’t age very well,” Payne said, in reference to Malik and Gigi Hadid’s relationship issues.

In one more blow to the One Direction Reunion Nation, Payne claimed that he and Louis Tomlinson “hated each other” while in the band, despite allegedly being “best mates” now.

As user @marielatrev_ tweeted, “Thank you Liam Payne for destroying the little hope I had for a One Direction reunion ever occurring.”

Meanwhile, another Twitter user, @taylorcarniff, claimed a “drunk” and “shirtless” Payne was previously seen “trying to fight people” at a Coachella after party.

When a member of MAGCON drags you this badly, maybe going on a podcast with Logan Paul wasn’t the best move.

But if there’s one thing Twitter’s gonna do, it’s react. With passion. And receipts.

Check out more fan reactions to Liam Payne’s bizarre interview, below:

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