It’s fair to say that the post-One-D wasteland has been kinder to some than it has been to others. Solo albums have come and gone with mixed success, and one ex-bandmember has even had a baby with his former X Factor judge. Some of the boys have looked slightly lost at times, unsure of how to handle themselves outside of the quintet. However, as recent events have proven, absence doesn’t always make the heart go fonder, especially when it comes to former colleagues.

Of all the bandmembers, 25-year-old Harry Styles has arguably enjoyed the greatest success. Aside from recording an album, he has also begun a burgeoning career as an actor, playing a prominent role in Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk”. Maybe if he and his unit hadn’t been dancing all night to the best song ever, untold carnage on the beaches of Northern France could have been avoided. But, for all his wins, it is his latest performance that has stolen headlines. 

Last night, Styles hosted iconic American show SNL for the first time, and used the opportunity to throw a few choice words in the direction of his former compatriots. In a biting opening monologue, he quipped:

“I don’t know if you heard or not, I’m not in a boyband anymore. I’m in a man band now. I was in a band called One Direction, how crazy would it be if they were here tonight? Well, they’re not. Wouldn’t it be crazy if they were though? They’re not. I love those guys, they’re my brothers.  Niall, Liam, Louis… and Ringo. Yeah, that’s it.”

Shots. Fired. 

After starting with some serious shade, Styles’ speech became far more self-deprecating. He continued, “I’m just so grateful Simon Cowell grew us in those test tubes,” before adding:

“You know for me, it’s not about the fame or the money. It’s about the music, it’s about the art. It’s about the art and the music and the music and the art. ‘I believe that music is a universal language. Especially songs that are performed in English because that’s the only language that I understand.”

Understandably, the internet was stunned by Styles’ opening salvo. Several Twitterers commented how shocked they were at the burn, with one writing, “‘I was not expecting this episode to start out with some Zayn shade.” If his SNL appearance is anything to go by, we may be waiting a while for a One Direction reunion.

It’s fair to say that the post-One-D wasteland has been kinder to some than it has been to others. Solo albums have come and gone with mixed success, and one ex-bandmember has even had a baby with his former X Factor judge. Some of the boys have looked slightly lost at times, unsure of how to handle themselves outside of the quintet. However, as recent events have proven, absence doesn’t always make the heart go fonder, especially when it comes to former colleagues.

Of all the bandmembers, 25-year-old Harry Styles has arguably enjoyed the greatest success. Aside from recording an album, he has also begun a burgeoning career as an actor, playing a prominent role in Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk”. Maybe if he and his unit hadn’t been dancing all night to the best song ever, untold carnage on the beaches of Northern France could have been avoided. But, for all his wins, it is his latest performance that has stolen headlines. 

Last night, Styles hosted iconic American show SNL for the first time, and used the opportunity to throw a few choice words in the direction of his former compatriots. In a biting opening monologue, he quipped:

“I don’t know if you heard or not, I’m not in a boyband anymore. I’m in a man band now. I was in a band called One Direction, how crazy would it be if they were here tonight? Well, they’re not. Wouldn’t it be crazy if they were though? They’re not. I love those guys, they’re my brothers.  Niall, Liam, Louis… and Ringo. Yeah, that’s it.”

Shots. Fired. 

After starting with some serious shade, Styles’ speech became far more self-deprecating. He continued, “I’m just so grateful Simon Cowell grew us in those test tubes,” before adding:

“You know for me, it’s not about the fame or the money. It’s about the music, it’s about the art. It’s about the art and the music and the music and the art. ‘I believe that music is a universal language. Especially songs that are performed in English because that’s the only language that I understand.”

Understandably, the internet was stunned by Styles’ opening salvo. Several Twitterers commented how shocked they were at the burn, with one writing, “‘I was not expecting this episode to start out with some Zayn shade.” If his SNL appearance is anything to go by, we may be waiting a while for a One Direction reunion.