The question, are any of One Direction gay, will always come up in conversation and online. As a boy band that had a lot of success worldwide, their love lives are considered open for public scrutiny. Several of them have been rumored to be gay at one time or another, including:
- Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles – The pair were rumored to have been romantically involved, but there was never any confirmation. It’s likely to be unfounded gossip, which caused a rift between them in their friendship because the press analyzed every public interaction between them. It may even have contributed to the band splitting up.
- Niall Horan – Niall was filmed in what could appear to be a kiss with another man in a nightclub. However, it seems more likely with was an over-friendly innocent hug between friends.
Who Is Gay in One Direction?
If any of One Direction are gay, it’s more likely to be Harry Styles. He appeared on the cover of Vogue wearing a dress. Of course, this doesn’t make him gay, but it fuels the rumors for those who choose to believe them. He’s always chosen to wear whatever appeals to him, but a man is wearing a dress is always going to raise questions from some people.
However, Harry has been linked to several women since launching to fame with One Direction. He’s had no trouble finding women to date. In January 2021, he and Olivia Wilde publicly announced they were in a relationship.
Before that, he was linked to:
- Taylor Swift – The relationship was short but is the inspiration for some of their songs released around that time.
- Caroline Flack – Caroline met Harry when she presented The X Factor. The relationship came to an end because of the age difference and the public’s reaction to this.
- Nicole Scherzinger - Harry, proving he had a type (older women) briefly dated Nicole, also on The X Factor, but as a judge. She was 16 years older than him.
- Kendall Jenner – These two split and got back together before splitting again.
Among the other women Harry was linked to, several were older than him. This in itself doesn’t suggest he’s gay but could cause speculation that there was little common ground, and the relationships were for show. There have never been any confirmed relationships between Harry and another man.
Is Louis from One Direction Gay?
Despite the media-fueled rumors of a sexual relationship between himself and Harry, Louis spoke out, saying it was disrespectful to his girlfriend, Eleanor. Again, there have been no confirmed relationships with a man.
Is Niall Gay?
Niall is currently in a relationship with Amelia Woolley. Despite his supposed kiss in the nightclub, he hasn’t had a relationship with a man. He or his former band members may have hidden a gay relationship from the media, but this is unlikely given his worldwide level of attention.
Is Zayn or Liam Gay?
Zayn and his girlfriend Gigi Hadid had a baby together in 2020. He has also never been linked to a man romantically.
Liam, who is reported to have recently split from his fiancée, is the interesting one if you want to read into his actions. The lyrics to his songs (Both Ways) received accusations of him being homophobic and fetishizing bisexuality. Along with the reason he gave for his recent breakup (to work on himself), it could mean anything, but some will take this as a sign of him hiding his true sexuality.
So Are Any of One Direction Actually Gay?
Despite all the rumors, members of the band openly supporting the LGBT community and some of them being considered gay icons, there is no confirmation of any of them having a relationship with another man. One of more of them might be gay or bi, but they’re hiding it really well. It seems unlikely, though.
The truth is, many fans wouldn’t care at this point and would be supportive, so there is little reason to hide it. This means they’re probably straight but just comfortable in their own skin and happy to support marginalized groups and use their names to highlight important issues.
Boybands will always cause speculation over the sexuality of their members. Anything from an innocent friendship to a hug or drunken peck can send the rumors flying. In this case, this seems to be what happened to One Direction. If it’s revealed one day that one of them is gay, we hold our hands up and admit we were wrong, but it seems unlikely now.