Louis Tomlinson talks Harry Styles romance theories: "It gets far too personal"

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Louis Tomlinson has shared his thoughts on the fan-generated rumors that he and bandmate Harry Styles were romantically involved during their days in One Direction.

Louis Tomlinson (l.) recently weighed in on the fan theories that he and bandmate Harry Styles secretly dated during their time in One Direction.
Louis Tomlinson (l.) recently weighed in on the fan theories that he and bandmate Harry Styles secretly dated during their time in One Direction.  © Collage: JC Olivera / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP & IMAGO / Newscom World

In an interview with Brazil's G1 on Monday, Louis weighed in on the speculation and admitted that the false narratives do "irritate" him.

"What's tough is, I realized this some years ago – there is nothing I can say. There is nothing I can do to dispel the believers of that conspiracy," the 32-year-old musician said.

"They are so intertwined with what they believe to be the truth now that they won't actually see the truth for what it is."

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Fan theories that Louis and the 30-year-old As It Was artist were secretly dating ran rampant during the heyday of One Direction, and despite the band's indefinite hiatus, they haven't entirely disappeared.

Louis – who has repeatedly denied the claims – acknowledged that the invasive dissection of his personal life can be the "nature of the job" as a musician, but he expressed his frustration that it oftentimes crosses an important boundary.

"There are times where it gets a little bit… at times it gets far too personal within that whole space," he said.

"There's nothing I can do about it; there's nothing I can say about it to stop people making up what they want to make up," Louis added.

While the days of One Direction technically came to an end in 2015, it's no secret that the band's fans – and their daydreams about the band – have continued to have a significant influence on pop culture.

One Direction fanfiction makes its way into pop culture mainstream

Fan theories speculating that Harry Styles (center l.) and Louis Tomlinson (center r.) were secretly dating ran rampant during the heyday of One Direction.
Fan theories speculating that Harry Styles (center l.) and Louis Tomlinson (center r.) were secretly dating ran rampant during the heyday of One Direction.  © Jonathan Leibson / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

Last month, the One Direction fandom returned to social media discourse everywhere thanks to the first trailer for The Idea of You, a new movie starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine.

As many fans were quick to note, the leading man bears a striking resemblance to Harry Styles himself, and that is no coincidence, as the author of the book it's based on has admitted to pulling some inspiration from the former boy-bander.

The After movies, based on the book series of the same name by Anna Todd, famously originated as a One Direction fanfiction with Harry as the romantic lead, providing the beginnings of this delightfully strange Styles cinematic universe.

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As for Harry and Louis as a pair (once known as "Larry Stylinson," as some may regretfully recall), those fanfics have even made their way onto mainstream TV.

In an early episode of Euphoria, Barbie Ferreira's character Kat Hernandez rose to online fame as the writer of a popular – and very steamy – fanfic starring the pair that was then depicted on the show through animation.

Despite all the chaos, Harry and Louis have managed to remain good friends amid their careers in the limelight, with Louis saying that the Grammy winner is "like a brother" to him in a November 2022 interview.

Cover photo: Collage: JC Olivera / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP & IMAGO / Newscom World

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