Louis Tomlinson Reveal Where He & Zayn Malik Stand Now After Their Public Feud
They've been feuding since 2015.
DFree | Featureflash Photo Agency | Shutterstock Louis Tomlinson says he's still not friends with former One Direction bandmate Zayn Malik, and the two have not properly reconciled following their feud.
During an appearance on "The Zach Sang Show," Tomlinson confirmed that he and Malik haven't made up following their public falling out nearly 7 years ago.
When asked if he and Malik were still friends, Tomlinson replied, "You'd have to ask him."
"I could be wrong, but I believe I said when you asked me a similar question [last time]... I believe I said I don't think I'm mature enough to get over what's frustrated me in that relationship," the singer said.
He added, "I don't know if I'm mature enough now, but I'm definitely closer to being over all that."
Tomlinson revealed that he's "tried to get in touch" with the "Pillowtalk" singer. "There's been numerous times over the last couple of years where I've thought about him and hoped he's alright."
"But it's hard," he continued. "I definitely wish him well."
Host Zach Sang pointed out that Malik has been recently sharing videos of himself singing old One Direction songs on Instagram, which Tomlinson has liked.
He went on to praise his former bandmate, saying that Malik's "a different caliber in terms of singers, I will say that."
Tomlinson also explained why he'd liked Malik's Instagram posts. "I wasn't just liking it for the sake of liking it. It was a nice feeling 'cause in the past, he's said what he's said about the band, and I understand some of what he was saying."
"For me, in those videos, it showed he was reflecting. It showed he was thinking about those times. Of course, at the same time, showing off his incredible voice."
Why are Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik feuding?
The bad blood between Tomlinson and Malik dates all the way back to 2015, following Malik's departure from One Direction.
In May 2015, Tomlinson and Malik got involved in a public spat on Twitter, which started after Malik's friend and British music producer, Naughty Boy, posted a photo of himself and Malik with the caption, "Replace this."
It was rumored to be a subtle dig at the speculation that One Direction was going to replace Malik after leaving the band, which only heightened after Malik retweeted the photo.
Tomlinson replied to Naughty Boy's tweet, writing, "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 immediately fired back in a tweet directed to Tomlinson. "Remember when you had a life and stopped making b-tchy comments about mine?"
After the birth of Tomlinson's son, Freddie, in 2016, Malik liked a photo of the new baby and later explained why he did it.
“Obviously I wish him the best of luck. His kid is cute as fuck so obviously, I favorited it,” Malik said, speaking with Capital FM’s Breakfast Show.
However, Malik confirmed that he and Tomlinson aren't friends despite him liking a photo of his newborn son. “We’re not talking on friend terms obviously, so that’s as far as I can go, by favoriting his picture. We’ll see if I get an invite [to visit the baby].”
In December 2016, Tomlinson's mother, Johannah Deakin, passed away, and the singer planned to pay tribute to her during a performance on the X-Factor. It was his first one after going solo.
While Harry Styles, Liam Payne, and Niall Horan were all backstage to support Tomlinson, Malik was nowhere to be found, causing even more of a rift between the two.
During an appearance on The Dan Wootton Interview podcast in 2019, Tomlinson admitted that Malik's absence from the tribute deeply hurt him.
“Truthfully, it never really got better,” he revealed about their failing relationship, adding that his mother's final wish had been for the two to rekindle their friendship.
“I had a couple of calls with him after I lost my mum, and all the boys had agreed to come to that performance and he didn’t show, so that really bugged me.”
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.