Where are the One Direction members now? Harry Styles just topped the Billboard 200, Zayn Malik created new merch, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson are still singing – but Liam Payne is in hot water

Jun 18 , 2022

The boys from One Direction have come a long way since their debut on X Factor in 2010 ... so what are they up to now? Photo: AP

Styles is making headlines for all the right reasons thanks to his new film with girlfriend Olivia Wilde and hit song As It Was from Billboard-topping album ‘Harry’s House’

But news about Payne’s exploits since leaving 1D seem relentlessly controversial, from bashing Malik on Logan Paul’s podcast to upsetting his former fiancée

It’s been more than 10 years since Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan started their journey on the UK’s X-Factor talent show. Although they did not win the competition, luck and timing was on their side – they went on to form one of the biggest boy bands in the world.

One Direction’s members, from left to right: Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles. Photo: AP

One Direction found unprecedented global mainstream success in the 2010s, but fame took a toll on the group after they’d reached several milestones and smashed numerous records. In early 2015, Malik left the group, and the four remaining members announced an extended hiatus that same year. Since then though, the young men have each carved a successful career of their own.

A shot from documentary One Direction: This Is Us – the group went their separate ways in 2015. Photo: 1D Mgmt

Last month, fans got word that the boys might reunite, but the rumours remain unfounded – not least because of Styles’ blossoming career. Payne’s remarks about former bandmate Malik also lead us to believe that a reunion is unlikely.

So how are the boys doing, and why has only one of them been making headlines lately?

Liam Payne continues to be controversial

Liam Payne appears to have beef with everyone from Louis Tomlinson to Zayn Malik. Photo: @liampayne/Instagram

Payne, 28, sparked fans’ ire when he aired his bandmates’ dirty laundry on Impaulsive, Logan Paul’s podcast, earlier this month. Payne said that he and Tomlinson didn’t get along, and explained how he’d had an argument with an unnamed bandmate who he said “threw me up a wall”.

He also took a swipe at Malik, commenting on his former bandmate’s feud with Paul’s brother, Jake, and allegations that Malik had pushed Gigi Hadid’s mother, Yolanda, during an altercation. While he said “there are many reasons why I dislike Zayn” he later insisted he’d always be on his side.

But what really annoyed fans was his claim that he had the most successful career of all the former bandmates, boasting that his solo track, Strip that Down “outsold everybody within the band”.

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