Are One Direction Still Friends After All These Years? A Look at the Band’s Relationship Today
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By Jamie Lee
February 6, 2023, published at 4:51 p.m. ET
In the early 2010s, five handsome young lads from England and Ireland took the pop music world by storm. While some critics were quick to dismiss the boy band, One Direction was almost absurdly likable. They were funny, easy-going and had their own distinctive personalities – from the moody and brooding Zayn Malik to the flirtatious and villainous Harry Styles. In fact, hating the band felt like hating a group of cute little puppies.
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The band – which also included Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Niall Horan – consistently released sweet and catchy songs before eventually maturing into a Mumford and Sons-esque sound with their 2013 album Midnight Memories. But in 2016, after building a fanatical fan base with five studio albums and multiple world tours, the group was Dunzo.
Recently, following Harry’s Grammy wins in 2023, two of his former bandmates took to social media to pay tribute to him and reignited interest in the age-old question: are 1D still friends?
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1D in 2010: Liam, Louis, Harry, Zayn and Niall
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Are One Direction still friends?
Fans have become curious about the boys’ friendship again since Harry won big at the 2023 Grammy Awards, where he took home the gramophone for Best Pop Vocal Album as well as coveted Album of the Year.
Niall posted a screenshot from the night with the message “Very Proud” and a heart emoji.
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Liam, meanwhile, posted a lengthy tribute alongside a lovely picture of Harry looking down at his Grammy.
“Wow…this picture is really something to wake up to and when you write music like you do Harry you deserve every millisecond of that moment of smiling looking at the trophy you deserve. God bless you bro, congratulations,” he wrote.
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Above all, over the years the boys have kept it classy when asked about one another and their time in the band. The more vocal critic was Zayn, who left 1D in 2015 and has since vented his frustration with his time with the group. He’s spoken out about everything from being uninspired by One Direction’s songs to believing he “didn’t really make friends out of the band.”
The others don’t seem to have much contact with Zayn, if any, but the remaining four have stayed in touch over the years, some more than others.
From the looks of it, Liam, Louis, and Niall are still friends who talk fairly regularly – maybe even more so Liam and Louis. Liam said in May 2022 that Louis was his “best pal now”. And shortly after the band broke up, Niall said he and Louis lived close together in LA and hung out quite a bit.
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Source: Getty Images
Harry wins big at the 2023 Grammys
Given Harry’s astronomical solo success, it’s no surprise that the boys only seem to run into him once in a while. But what they all have to say about their encounters is typically positive and encouraging.
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Liam told Andy Cohen about meeting Harry in 2019: “We talked about a number of things; we hadn’t seen each other for three years. I literally hadn’t seen him once, we hadn’t spoken or anything. He was pretty much the same boy I left him. We talked about children and happiness and all kinds of things.
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1D in happier days: pictured in 2013
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Despite their schedules, Harry, Liam, Louis and Niall still seem to be there for each other when it matters most. After Louis tragically lost his mother in 2016, the boys (without Zayn) came to support him at a performance he had planned before the tragedy.
“It was easy to see everyone there – Harry, Niall and Liam – that’s what I needed that night, that support,” Louis said at the time.
He added, referring to Zayn’s absence, “So on the other end of the spectrum, it really showed.”
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