“I was pissed quite a lot of the time because there was no other way to get your head around what was going on,” Payne told ‘Men’s Health’ in June 2019

Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson of One Direction perform on ABC's "Good Morning America" at Rumsey Playfield, Central Park on November 26, 2013 in New York City.

Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson of One Direction perform on ABC’s “Good Morning America” at Rumsey Playfield, Central Park on November 26, 2013 in New York City. PHOTO: NIALL HORAN, HARRY STYLES, LIAM PAYNE, ZAYN MALIK AND LOUIS TOMLINSON OF ONE DIRECTION PERFORM ON ABC’S “GOOD MORNING AMERICA” AT RUMSEY PLAYFIELD, CENTRAL PARK ON NOVEMBER 26, 2013 IN NEW YORK CITY.

Liam Payne regretted some of the less-than-pleasant things he previously said about his One Direction bandmates before his untimely death at 31 on Wednesday, Oct. 16.

In a June 2022 interview with Logan Paul on the Impaulsive podcast, Payne criticized his former bandmates Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson. He later walked back his comments in a lengthy YouTube video in July 2023, revealing that he had spent 100 days in rehab and attributed his comments to frustration with his career.

“My own frustrations with my own career and where I kind of landed, I took shots at everybody else which is wrong,” Payne said. “So obviously, I want to apologize for that because that’s definitely not me.”

He continued, “When I needed them most they kind of came to my rescue.”

During a conversation with Men’s Health Australia in June 2019, Payne revealed that he relied heavily on alcohol as a means of coping. Payne added that while he was grateful for his bandmates, he felt their relationship had moments of toxicity.

Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson of One Direction perform on ABC's "Good Morning America" at Rumsey Playfield, Central Park on November 26, 2013 in New York City.

One Direction in 2013.NIALL HORAN, HARRY STYLES, LIAM PAYNE, ZAYN MALIK AND LOUIS TOMLINSON OF ONE DIRECTION PERFORM ON ABC’S “GOOD MORNING AMERICA” AT RUMSEY PLAYFIELD, CENTRAL PARK ON NOVEMBER 26, 2013 IN NEW YORK CITY.

“It’s almost like putting the Disney costume on before you step up on stage and underneath the Disney costume I was pissed quite a lot of the time because there was no other way to get your head around what was going on,” he told the outlet. “I mean, it was fun. We had an absolute blast, but there were certain parts of it where it just got a little bit toxic.”

It was on the Impaulsive podcast that Payne said there were “many reasons” he disliked Malik, who left the group to go solo in March 2015.

One Direction attend the 2014 American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 23, 2014 in Los Angeles, California

One Direction in 2014.KEVIN MAZUR/AMA2014/WIREIMAGE

“There are many reasons I dislike Zayn and there are many reasons why I’ll always be on his side,” Payne explained. “If I had had to go through what he went through, through his growth and whatever else. My parents are overly supportive, to the point where it’s annoying at times, and Zayn had a different upbringing in that sense.”

“You can always look at the man for where he is and say: ‘That guy’s a d–k,’ but at the end of the day, what you understand, what he’s had to get through to get to that point and whether or not he wanted to be there, I can’t d–k on him,” he continued. “I don’t agree with his actions, I can’t be on his side. I understand and hope that one day, the other person on the end of the phone wants to receive the help.”