Jack Whitehall shares insight into BRIT Awards tribute to Liam Payne

Comedian Jack Whitehall has given fans a behind-the-scenes glimpse into his upcoming tribute to Liam Payne at the BRIT Awards following the One Direction star’s death

BRIT Awards host Jack Whitehall has shed light on the tribute that will honour Liam Payne during Saturday night’s show.

One Direction singer Liam Payne died at the age of 31 on October 16, 2024, after falling from a third-floor balcony in Buenos Aires. Liam’s cause of death was confirmed as ‘polytrauma,’ indicating multiple severe injuries to his body. Five months after his tragic death, Liam will be honoured at the BRITS on Saturday, March 1..

While One Direction fans were hoping that his former bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik would be apart of the tribute on-stage, it has since been confirmed that the boys will not be sharing any words in honour of Liam.

It is believed event organisers had approached the group, who won seven BRIT Awards during their career, about performing live at the ceremony on March 1. However, Liam’s four former bandmates have chosen not to participate. Despite the fact that the former One Direction stars will not be apart of the tribute, BRITs host Jack, 36, has reassured that Liam will still be honoured in style.

Liam’s former One Direction bandmates will not be apart of the tribute ( 
Image:
Getty Images)

Shedding light on what BRIT viewers can expect, Jack told The Sun: “It’s really lovely that we have this moment within the show to pay tribute and remember him. I have lots of really great memories of Liam. He was always game for fun. I filmed some sketches with him – not everyone is up for that, but he always made time.” The BRITS won’t be the first award show tribute to Liam. Earlier this month fans were left in tears when the Grammy’s showed a heartbreaking video montage of the star.

Last month, it was reported that Harry, Niall, Louis, and Zayn felt a reunion could overshadow the tribute to Liam, making it unlikely that any of them will attend the event. Although Liam’s passing brought the former bandmates back into contact for the first time since Zayn’s departure in 2015, there are no current plans for any future One Direction projects.

A source explained: “This has been an incredibly emotional time for the group, and they decided that a performance would be too overwhelming. They have mourned privately and don’t feel the need for a public tribute just for the sake of it. While fans may be disappointed, the timing simply isn’t right.”

Elsewhere, it will be the fifth time the comedian fronts the biggest night in UK music and he’s been working on the script for months. While their teams have been given a sneak peak of what he has in store – he’s promised to sneak in some surprises. “We have this process where we spend four months writing this script and crafting it all and [in the rehearsal] there’s this moment where we’re finalising it, picking the right jokes and slotting it all into place,” Jack explained to the Mirror.

Liam Payne died in October 2024 ( 
Image:
Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Jack will be presenting the BRIT Awards for the fifth year in a row ( 
Image:
John Marshall – JM Enternational)

“Then [for the dress rehearsals], I do a dummy script so no one can complain about what I’m saying about their acts. Then on the night, [I make sure] there are a few surprises for the acts, the record labels and ITV. I like to keep everyone on their toes.” Ezra Collective, Jorja Smith, JADE, Lola Young, Myles Smith, Sabrina Carpenter, Sam Fender, Teddy Swims and The Last Dinner Party all perform at tonight’s awards at London’s O2 Arena.

Charli xcx is up for five awards. Already announced winners include Myles Smith is the winner of this year’s BRITs Rising Star award; Sabrina Carpenter will be receiving the BRITs Global Success award; Charli xcx will be this year’s Songwriter of the Year.