Liam Payne has claimed he was an original member of One Direction and revealed that X Factor mogul Simon Cowell promised to make him a star.
“Ah, the tangled webs we weave!” the bard mused, and never has a saying seemed more apt than when examining the brouhaha surrounding Liam Payne and his comments about One Direction. On Logan Paul ’s podcast , he boldly claimed that the band revolved around him as if Simon Cowell had concocted a master plan for boy band fame with Payne at its centre.
Liam Payne | Credits: vagueonthehow via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
To add to this, another video shows Cowell praising Payne’s audition while blatantly suggesting that he had an inflated ego, implying that he thought he was better than the other contestants. And just when you think it couldn’t get any more dramatic, in walks Maya Henry, Payne’s ex-girlfriend. She’s been dropping truth bombs, republishing interviews where Payne and Cowell’s stories are knotted tighter than a pretzel.
As Shakespeare once said, “All the world’s a stage,” and boy does Liam Payne seem to believe he’s the star of this particular show. Two years ago, during an appearance on Logan Paul ’s podcast , the former One Direction heartthrob suggested that Simon Cowell created the entire One Direction phenomenon around him.
From what I’ve heard, part of the reason One Direction was created was Simon’s promise to me that in two years he would make this work for you. So he started with my face and worked his way up.
Liam Payne during a One Direction concert in 2015 | Credits: Ashley Newby via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
Talking about taking credit for the whole cake while everyone else puts the icing on it! Logan Paul chimed in: “Wow, you were the initial idea? ” To which Payne proudly replied:
I was an honorary member of One Direction, yes.
He also recounted a dinner at Cowell’s home, where Cowell allegedly apologized for sending him home, saying:
I didn’t want to let you go, but you have to go and get your education.
But as Payne told more of his story, it became clear that he hadn’t gotten into One Direction without a hitch. When he returned for another audition, he felt like “ everyone’s enemy ” at boot camp. He recalled with humor:
I was very angry with Simon because I thought he would beat the guy who managed to get through.
And after another moment of uncertainty, a member of the X Factor team came running in, begging him to come back. The rest, as they say, is history. “I don’t know how they picked the rest ,” he admitted – which is probably the understatement of the year!
ITV released previously unseen footage from 2010. This clip captures the moment when Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh were deciding the lineup for what would become world-renowned boy band OD (via TMZ). And what does this footage reveal? Well, while Cowell acknowledged Liam Payne’s impressive audition, he commented
During the podcast, Paynes confidently stated: “Simon started with my face and then worked on the rest. I was an honorary member of One Direction. He told me that story himself at his house .” One wonders if Simon nodded or stifled a laugh. While Paynes may see himself as the glue that held it all together, it seems Simon had a different opinion.
And just when you think the drama can’t possibly reach a fever pitch, along comes Liam Payne’s ex-girlfriend Maya Henry, who doesn’t hold back for a second. She recently took to TikTok, where she reposted (watch the original TikTok video here) a clever video that interweaves interviews with Payne and Cowell.
She claimed that her ex-boyfriend has been telling a fantastical story about One Direction’s origins. In addition, Henry recently took to TikTok (via YouTube) to reveal his stormy relationship with Payne, revealing a series of claims that could shake his career to its foundations.
