Harry Styles has broken his silence on his ‘One Direction T-shirtgate’, saying that he accidentally shared the image to Instagram.
On Sunday night, One Direction fans were left in a tizzy when he posted a selfie in the gym wearing merchandise from the band’s Up All Night Tour circa 2011 to 2012.
The T-shirt in question showed him and all his other ex-bandmates’ faces in boxes with a sixth square devoted to their abbreviated name 1D.
The photo — which was promptly deleted — left some in a spin, speculating whether this was the 29-year-old’s way of announcing a reunion with the group.
However many debunked the theory, saying that the As It Was hitmaker’s quick removal of the post suggested that he meant to post it to his close friends, not the world.
Addressing the speculation, Styles told a crowd at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand on Tuesday that it was an “accident”.
“Maybe like some people, you choose to keep it to yourself, and maybe one day you’ll accidentally post it to your Instagram story.” - Harry joking at MT Smart Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand, March 7 (via courtneyhelen1) pic.twitter.com/H1T6mscnau
— HSD Love On Tour (@hsdlot) March 7, 2023
During an interaction with a fan, he said laughing on stage: “I guess some of us have secrets.
“Maybe, like some people, you want to keep something to yourself, and maybe one day you will accidentally post it to your Instagram Story.”
The hysteria around his social media post comes after the Sushi for A Music Restaurant singer paid tribute to his former bandmates Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik, while picking up Artist of the Year at the Brit Awards.
He said at the ceremony last month: “I want to start by thanking my family. I want to thank my family for being the most supportive, understanding, patient, loving family I could ask for. I want to thank my mum for signing me up for X Factor without telling me cos I literally wouldn’t be here without you.”
Harry Styles has deleted his Instagram story wearing a One Direction shirt. pic.twitter.com/Lq6G7E7fP4
— Pop Base (@PopBase) March 6, 2023
“I want to thank Niall, Louis, Liam and Zayn, because I wouldn’t be here without you either.
“Thank you so much. I’m really, really grateful for this and I’m very aware of my privilege up here tonight so this award is for Rina, Charli, Florence, Mabel and Becky,” he concluded, referencing that this year’s nominees in the Artist of the Year category were all male.
One Direction formed on 2010’s X Factor. The band announced their hiatus in August 2015 so they could pursue solo projects five months after Malik left the band amidst their world tour.
