Louis Tomlinson Addresses “Larry” Conspiracy Theories & Competitiveness Within One Direction Years After Band Split

Sara Delgado
·3 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Dave Benett/Getty Images

Louis Tomlinson is giving the phrase "better late than never" a whole new meaning by addressing once again — and this time at length — the popular conspiracy theory that links him and fellow One Direction member Harry Styles romantically…over eight years after the band's split.

Before embarking on the Latin American leg of his Faith in the Future world tour, Louis Tomlinson sat down with Brazilian outlet g1 and got candid about the "Larry" fan theories that claim he and Harry Styles secretly dated during their time in the band and were forced to hide their relationship.

"I realized a few years ago that there is nothing I can say, there is nothing I can do to stop those who believe in this conspiracy," Tomlinson told g1, adding that he feels that fans who support this theory, known as Larries, are so set on their own beliefs that they won't accept the truth.

"I'm sure many people find all these little conspiracies interesting, [and] I'd be lying if I said it didn't irritate me a little, but it's the nature of the job," Tomlinson added. This is what we have now. There's nothing I can do about it. There's nothing I can say to stop people from inventing what they want to invent. So be it."

<h1 class="title"> Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles of One Direction attend the World Premiere of 'One Direction: This Is Us' at Empire Leicester Square on August 20, 2013 in London, England.</h1><cite class="credit">Mike Marsland</cite>

Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles of One Direction attend the World Premiere of 'One Direction: This Is Us' at Empire Leicester Square on August 20, 2013 in London, England.

Mike Marsland

Despite being somewhat desensitized to the theories now, the "Bigger Than Me" singer did admit "there are times when it gets too personal," mentioning the birth of his son Freddie as the prime example. “He is the most important person in my life. And occasionally, [these theories] do end up broaching some stuff that's really unfair.”

In 2012, Tomlinson had addressed the Larry shipping theories succinctly, calling them "the biggest load of bullsh*t I've ever heard" in a response tweet to a fan. He also admitted the theories had naturally made him and Styles a bit more distant in a 2017 interview with The Sun since "everyone was looking into everything we did," which made them "a little bit more unapproachable."

Related: Louis Tomlinson Admits He Was Initially "Bothered" By Harry Styles's Success

In a 2015 interview with The Fader, former One Direction member Zayn Malik elaborated on how the theory affected both Tomlinson and Styles, saying: "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." The singer also proclaimed there were “no secret relationships going on with any of the band members.”

Elsewhere in his interview with g1, Tomlinson also admitted he was still thankful that people were still interested in One Direction after all these years and conceded that, though in his early solo career days, he struggled to showcase admiration for what his fellow 1D members were doing, he's matured enough to move past that now.

"Being in a band and going out on your own will always mean that your only frame of reference is comparing yourself to the other members … and that becomes a little toxic," Tomlinson said. “Unfortunately, that's the nature of the music industry. It's just naturally competitive. We are all competing for places. But now I see it in a very different way. And just to reiterate, while I felt competitive, or more competitive than I do today, it wasn't like I wasn't immensely proud of everything the boys were doing.”

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue

Want more great Culture stories from Teen Vogue? Check these out: