A sector of One Direction fans have been pushing the “Larry Stylinson” conspiracy theory for the past 14 years despite both artists’ adamant denials
Nearly 12 years ago, Louis Tomlinson took to X (formerly Twitter) to shut down rumors that he was in, or had ever been in, a secret relationship with his One Direction bandmate Harry Styles. “Larry is the biggest load of bullshit I’ve ever heard,” he wrote to one fan, often called Larries, for this belief in Larry Stylinson. “I’m happy why can’t you accept that.” In the years since, both artists have continued to deny the bizarre conspiracy — but Tomlinson recently realized that he’s wasting his breath.
“What I realized a few years ago is that there is nothing I can say,” he recently told the Brazilian publication G1. “There is nothing I can do to stop those who believe in this conspiracy. They are so connected to what they believe that they will not see the truth for what it really is.”
Even when Tomlinson shared that initial tweet, that particular sector of fans turned it into a metaphoric pride flag and started calling themselves bullshippers, a play on “the biggest load of bullshit.” In the interview, he added: “I’m sure many people look and find all these little conspiracies that happen in life interesting. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t irritate me a little, but it’s the nature of the job.”
For more than a decade, Larries have written off both Tomlinson and Styles’ public relationships as covers for their forbidden romance, searched for hidden meanings and codes within their tattoos, and convinced themselves that dark shadow executives in the music industry are preventing them from being together.
“There are times when it gets very personal,” Tomlinson added, detailing how it has impacted his personal life. “I have my son, Freddie. He is the most important person in my life. And occasionally, [these theories] end up addressing things that are a little unfair. This is what we have now. There’s nothing I can do about it. Nothing I can say to stop people from inventing what they want to invent. So, so be it.”
