Liam Payne and Simon Cowell's alleged beef explained as fans warn X Factor judge not to pay tribute to One Direction star after his death

Former One Direction member Liam Payne tragically died on October 16, 2024, after falling from a third floor to the courtyard of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires. Following the news, fans recalled an alleged beef between Payne and X Factor judge Simon Cowell. This tension surfaced in 2022 when Payne appeared on Logan Paul's podcast and made remarks about the band and Cowell.

During the podcast, Liam Payne alleged that Cowell made the boy band around him. The late singer further considered himself an honorary member of One Direction. However, a video later released by X Factor UK showed Nicole Scherzinger and Simon selecting the boys for the band from an array of photos.

In the video, Niall Horan was seen as the first to be chosen, and when Liam Payne's turn came, Simon Cowell seemed skeptical. However, Scherzinger insisted on Liam's inclusion, suggesting he could be a possible future leader. While Simon wasn't completely up for having Liam in the band, he complimented his audition.

Liam Payne was initially rejected during his first X Factor audition, primarily by Simon Cowell, who thought he wasn't ready yet. Given this history and amid the singer's death, fans have flooded the internet with comments about how they don't want Cowell to pay tributes to him. A user wrote on X:

"I'm so serious when i say i don’t want to see a single f*cking word from simon cowell."

"I’m like genuinely scared to see what Simon Cowell’s statement is on Liam, especially if he committed suicide," commented another netizen.

"I don't look forward to Cheryl Cole and Simon Cowell's thoughts in the tabloid press this weekend," added a tweet.

Some netizens even claimed that Cowell used to make the band members overwork.

"5 albums in 5 years Simon Cowell was working them white boys like the shein factory," one netizen tweeted.

"Simon cowell there’s a very special place in hell for you," wrote another user.

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Simon Cowell previously took a dig at Liam Payne

Back in 2016, during an America's Got Talent press conference, Simon Cowell praised most of the One Direction members for their loyalty, apart from Liam Payne. This was when Liam had just signed a solo deal with Capitol Records, as reported by femalefirst.co.uk.

Cowell stated:

"We’re in touch with them all. The great thing about all these boys - well not all of them but most of them - they are incredibly loyal and you don’t always expect that. Niall, Harry, Louis (are) amazing."

Cowell even made a comment about the late singer back then, stating:

"He thinks he's better than anyone else."

Over the years, Simon Cowell's remarks about the band members have seemingly strained his relationship with them. In June 2024, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan reportedly unfollowed him on social media.

This happened after Cowell appeared on Steven Bartlett’s Diary of A CEO podcast back then. On the podcast, he expressed regrets about not keeping the band name. He even offered to buy it back from them.

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For the unversed, One Direction was formed in 2010 on the talent show The X Factor, where Simon, Nicole Scherzinger, and Louis Walsh grouped the boys together as a band. In 2015, Zayn Malik became the first member to announce his departure from the group.

In January 2016, the rest of the band members announced that they'd be taking an indefinite hiatus. Over the years, while the members have spoken about possible reunions, nothing of that sort has happened yet.

Following Liam's demise, fans took to the internet to express their condolences and tributes.