Louis Tomlinson has, once again, addressed the ongoing conspiracy theories that he is, or has been, in a relationship with fellow One Direction star Harry Styles.
Since the band’s early days, a select group of One Direction fans – ‘Larries’ – fervently believe that the bandmates have had a secret romance – there’s even extensive videos on YouTube with ‘evidence’ to ‘support’ their theories.
Although both Tomlinson and Styles have repeatedly denied that ‘Larry Stylinson’ is real, Larries are still out in full force with tribute videos and fan-fiction that depict the duo as a queer couple.
In a recent interview with Brazilian publication G1, Tomlinson was asked about the theories, where he said that he “realised a few years ago” that “there is nothing” he can say to put the rumours to bed.
“They are so connected to what they believe that they will not see the truth for what it really is,” he said.
“I’m sure many people look and find all these little conspiracies that happen in life interesting, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t irritate me a little, but it’s the nature of the job.”
Louis continued to explain that, as a father, ‘Larry Stylinson’ has impacted and damaged his personal life.
“There are times when it gets very personal. I have my son, Freddie. He is the most important person in my life. And occasionally, [these theories] end up addressing things that are a little unfair,” he continued.
“This is what we have now. There’s nothing I can do about it. Nothing I can say to stop people from inventing what they want to invent. So, so be it.”
‘Larry Stylinson’ has even been parodied in popular culture, with the first episode of HBO’s Euphoria featuring an animated love scene between the two singers.
In ‘Made You Look’, Zendaya’s character Rue introduces audiences to Kat (Barbie Ferreira), a former internet star who became a viral sensation after producing sexual fan-fiction of Tomlinson and Styles.
During the opening scene, Kat says Rue is to blame for the “Larry Stylinson conspiracy theory, that Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson of One Direction are secretly fucking.”
After the scene aired, Tomlinson wrote on Twitter: “I can categorically say that I was not contacted nor did I approve it.”
In 2017, Tomlinson told Grazia that the rumours caused friction between him and Styles.
“It created this atmosphere between the two of us where everyone was looking into everything we did. It took away the vibe you get off anyone,” he revealed.
“It made everything, I think on both fences, a little bit more unapproachable. I think it shows that it was never anything real if I can use that word.”