It has been nine years since One Direction broke up, but Louis Tomlinson still deals with “conspiracy” theories about his friendship with former bandmate Harry Styles.
Tomlinson — once again — shot down rumors that he and the “Watermelon Sugar” singer were ever romantically involved during an interview with Brazilian news outlet G1 on Monday.
“What’s tough is, I realized this some years ago — there is nothing I can say. There is nothing I can do to dispel the believers of that conspiracy,” the 32-year-old said.
“They are so intertwined with what they believe to be the truth now that they won’t actually see the truth for what it is.”
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Tomlinson and Styles, 30, grew close in 2010 after being placed in the same boyband on “The X Factor.” However, as the group rose to fame, a subsection of their fans — known as “Larries” — began spreading theories that the pair were more than just friends.
“It does irritate me a little bit, you know? But it is just kind of [the] nature of the job, I suppose,” the “Back to You” singer said.
Although he tries not to let the theories get under his skin, Tomlinson — who is dad to 8-year-old Freddie with ex Briana Jungwirth — noted that fans sometimes take things too far.
“There are times where it gets a little bit… at times it gets far too personal within that whole space,” he said. “I’ve got my son Freddie [who is] the most important person in my life. Occasionally it kind of broaches some stuff that is really unfair.”
He concluded, “So it kind of just is this thing that exists now. There’s nothing I can do about it, there’s nothing I can say about it to stop people making up what they want to make up. So be it!”
This isn’t the first time that Tomlinson has tried to put the rumors to rest. In 2012, the “Out Of My System” singer insisted that he was “straight” in response to the “rubbish” claims circulating online.
“Hows this , Larry is the biggest load of bulls–t I’ve ever heard. I’m happy why can’t you accept that,” he tweeted at the time.
Even former bandmate Zayn Malik defended the pair against the rumors after he left the group in 2015, telling the Fader that there were “no secret relationships going on with any of the band members.”
“It’s not funny, and it still continues to be quite hard for them. They won’t naturally go put their arm around each other because they’re conscious of this thing that’s going on, which is not even true,” he explained. “They won’t do that natural behavior.”
Although Tomlinson has remained friends with some of the other “One Direction” members, he and Styles have rarely been seen together since the band split in 2015 — potentially due to the rumors that would ensue.
Despite that, the “Always You” singer has always spoken highly of Styles, whom he previously described as “like a brother” to him.
When asked about Styles’ successful solo career during an interview with The Telegraph in November 2022, Tomlinson said it came as no surprise that his former bandmate became such a big “star.”
“He’s not just doing music, he’s got film as well, and the (stadium) tour he’s done is unbelievable,” he said.
While the group may not be as close as they once were, both Styles and Tomlinson have hinted at a potential One Direction reunion in recent years, with the latter calling it “inevitable.”
