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More than a decade after referring to “Larry” — the perceived romantic relationship between former One Direction bandmates Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson — as “the biggest load of bull****t,” Tomlinson is once again breaking his silence on the relentless fan theory.
Speaking to Brazil’s G1 news outlet in an interview published on Monday, April 8, the “Kill My Mind” singer, 32, shared that he was powerless to stop the persistent rumors.
“What I realized a few years ago is that there is nothing I can say. There is nothing I can do to stop those who believe in this conspiracy,” he said. “They are so connected to what they believe that they will not see the truth for what it really is. I’m sure many people look and find all these little conspiracies that happen in life interesting.”
While every fandom has their own “ships” (pairs of either fictional or real-life people whose romance they root for) the Larry theory has become problematic over the years — not just because Styles and Tomlinson have never dated, but because the belief that they are in a secret relationship (and have been “forced” to keep it quiet by their management) has affected the former One Direction bandmates’ real lives.
In 2012, Tomlinson addressed the rumors for the first time on X (formerly known as Twitter), responding to a fan asking about the Larry conspiracy.
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“Hows this , Larry is the biggest load of bull**** I’ve ever heard,” Tomlinson, who was dating longtime girlfriend Eleanor Calder at the time, tweeted. “I’m happy why can’t you accept that.”
Though Styles has never discussed the conspiracy, Zayn Malik revealed in 2015 that their friendship had changed due to speculation.
“There’s 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,” Malik told The Fader at the time. “They won’t do that natural behavior.”
Despite One Direction’s split in 2016, the Larry rumors were still so rampant four years later that Euphoria featured an animated scene — thought up by character Kat Hernandez — involving a NSFW depiction of the fictionalized Tomlinson and Styles.
Tomlinson, for his part, denied any involvement in the episode. “I can categorically say that I was not contacted nor did I approve it,” he tweeted in 2019.
While many fans can’t believe Tomlinson is still facing these questions in 2024 — “I KNOWWWW louis is tired 😭,” one X user wrote — some Larries are still going strong with their theory.
“He can’t give a firm denial in these interviews because Larry is real. So be it. 💚💙,” one Larry shipper tweeted.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.