Former members of the musical group One Direction, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik, became the subject of renewed public attention on Sunday, April 19, after Tomlinson unfollowed Malik on Instagram following reports of an altercation during the filming of a documentary series.
Tomlinson stopped following Malik on the social media platform, while Malik continued to follow Tomlinson. Tomlinson still follows former bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and the late Liam Payne.
The Sun reported that the two singers were involved in a physical altercation while filming a Netflix documentary series in the United States. The report stated that Malik made a remark about Tomlinson’s late mother, Johannah Deakin, and that the exchange escalated into a fight in which Malik struck Tomlinson, resulting in an injury.
Neither Tomlinson nor Malik, nor their representatives, issued public statements addressing the reported incident as of Sunday.
Tomlinson and Malik first met during auditions for The X Factor UK series 7 and later joined Styles, Horan, and Payne in One Direction, which formed during the competition. Malik left the group in 2015.
The group previously reunited publicly in 2017 in connection with Liam Payne, and they were seen together again at his wake in 2024.
The reported altercation follows earlier public exchanges between Tomlinson and Malik after Malik left One Direction.