LONDON, ENGLAND: Liam Payne has revealed that he secretly checked into a 100-day rehabilitation stay to "get well" following the backlash he faced after he spoke negatively about his former bandmates in One Direction. In a video shared on YouTube on Sunday, July 9, the singer said he opened up about wanting to stay away from the public eye after the controversial Logan Paul interview and is now ready to make his return.
"I just needed to take some time out for myself," said Payne who further added, "Actually because I kinda became somebody that I didn't recognize anymore and I'm sure you actually didn't either."
Payne's controversial Logan Paul interview
Payne was slammed online in 2022 after his interview on Logan Paul's 'Impulsive' podcast where he made remarks about his time with the band and also about his ex-bandmate Zayn Malik and about his time with the band.
Looking at the camera and stating that he is "not going to let anybody else take the blame for the stuff" he said, Payne said, "I know there was a lot of hate online. I think for me a lot of what I said just came from the wrong place. I was so angry at what was going on around me and instead of taking a look inwards, I was looking outwards at everybody else and I just took it out on everybody else and it was just wrong, really, and my own frustrations with my own career and where I kinda landed."
Malik reached out to Payne following the backlash
The 'Familiar' singer shared what he "disliked" about Malik at the time when he split with Gigi Hadid at the time of the interview. Payne said his bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and even Malik reached out to him after his public apology, according to ET.
"Obviously, I wanted to apologize about that. That wasn't about me. One of the biggest remarks I made was about One Direction ... and a lot of self-protection I suppose, in that moment, more than anything," he said and further added, "The rest of the boys kinda came to the rescue when I needed them the most, even Zayn as well, which is why I did send him a little thank you online. It was hard to watch back." He also admitted that his remarks were "big-headed."
Payne said he has become a 'new guy'
The singer revealed that the issue was one of his "life-changing" incidents that made him decide to make changes in his life and made him take steps to change his life. This decision led him to enter a facility in Louisiana where he kept his phone turned off throughout his 100-day stay.
"One of those life-changing moments that changed my life in a way. I have had a lot of time to recollect those moments. I kinda had to go away to kinda get better. The whole thing up to that point was just a scramble to stay relevant," he said. Payne shared that he tried working on things he was passionate about during his time at the facility and is now "trying to learn to get to know this new guy."
