Liam Payne asserted that he was the original member of One Direction, revealing that X Factor mogul Simon Cowell promised to turn him into a star.

“Ah, the tangled webs we weave!” mused the bard, and never has a saying felt more fitting than when examining the fuss 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 crafted a master plan for boy band fame with Payne at its center.
Liam Payne asserted on Logan Paul’s podcast that One Direction was formed around him. 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 cheekily suggesting he had an inflated ego, implying he thought he was better than the other contestants. And just when you think it couldn’t get any more dramatic, enter Maya Henry, Payne’s ex-girlfriend. She’s been throwing truth bombs, reposting interviews where Payne and Cowell’s stories are knotted up tighter than a pretzel.

Liam Payne‘s Self-Proclaimed Origin of One Direction

As Shakespeare once quipped, “All the world’s a stage,” and boy, does Liam Payne seem to believe he’s the star of this particular show! Two years back, during an appearance on Logan Paul’s podcast, the former One Direction heartthrob suggested that Simon Cowell crafted the entire One Direction phenomenon around him.

In the podcast, Payne confidently declared:

From what I’ve heard, part of the reason One Direction was made was because of Simon’s promise to me. That in two years I’ll make this work for you. So he kind of started with my face and worked out around the rest.

In previously unseen footage, Simon Cowell praised Payne’s audition but humorously suggests he has an inflated ego. Liam Payne during a One Direction concert in 2015 | Credits: Ashley Newby via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
Talk about taking credit for the whole cake while everyone else brings the icing! Logan Paul chimed in, “Wow, you were the inception?” To which Payne proudly replied:

I was the honorary member of One Direction, yes.

He further recounted a dinner at Cowell’s house, where the latter supposedly 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 shared more of his story, it became clear he didn’t just waltz into One Direction without a hitch. When he returned for another audition, he felt like “everyone’s nemesis” at boot camp. He humorously recalled:

I was really mad at Simon because I thought I’d beat the kid that got through.

And after yet another moment of uncertainty, a member of the X Factor team came running, begging him to return. The rest, as they say, is history. “I don’t know how they chose the rest of them,” he admitted, which is probably the understatement of the year!

Did Liam Payne Really Lie About One Direction’s Origin?

Payne’s ex-girlfriend, Maya Henry, challenges his narrative on TikTok, implying he’s not truthful about One Direction’s origins. Maya Henry | Credit: TikTok @mayahenry
ITV released unseen footage from 2010. This clip captures the moment when Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger, and Louis Walsh were deciding on the lineup for what would become the world-renowned boy band OD (via TMZ). And what does this footage reveal? Well, while Cowell did acknowledge Liam Payne’ impressive audition, he remarked:

He thinks he’s better than anyone else in that list.

During the podcast, Paynes confidently stated, “Simon started with my face, and then worked around the rest. I was the honorary member of One Direction. He told me that story himself at his house.” One has to wonder if Simon was nodding along or stifling a chuckle. While Paynes might see himself as the glue that held it all together, it seems Simon had a different view.

And just when you think the drama couldn’t reach a higher crescendo, here comes Maya Henry, Liam Payne’s ex-girlfriend, who is not holding back even. She recently took to TikTok, where she reposted (see here for original TikTok video) a clever video that intertwines interviews featuring both Payne and Cowell.

Hence, she claimed that her ex-boyfriend has been spinning a tall tale about the origins of One Direction. Also, Henry recently took to TikTok (via YouTube) to spill the beans on her stormy relationship with Payne, unveiling a series of claims that could rock his career to its core.