Can you believeOne Direction were put together on The X Factor over ten years ago? It would have been difficult to predict a decade ago that the boys would inspire fandom which hadn't been seen since the Beatles - and thatHarry Styles{
But, while the group achieved a level of success which was almost beyond comprehension, ardent fans sometimes spawned trouble when conspiracy theories about the group would spiral out of control. Do you remember when Louis Tomlinson, the first in the band to become a father, was accused of having a fake son? No? Well, we guess you need to read our guide to the oddest theories surrounding the band. Buckle up, it's a wild ride.
A Look Back At One Direction's Wildest Conspiracy Theories
1 of 6Louis' 'fake' son
Yep, this is unfortunately just as weird as it seems. Back in 2016, Louis became a father to a little boy Freddie with his ex Briana Jungwirth. Fans, though, were convinced that the whole thing was a lie, and the young parents were using a doll on rare public appearances. Briana commented on an MTV News Instagram post which showed her baby Photoshopped out of one of the photos of Louis holding him. 'Sorry but that is just cruel. I don't usually speak out much, but I'd like to know how would you feel as a new proud mother reading something like this?' she wrote. 'How dare anyone call my child fake? That's sick and morally wrong. Say all you'd like but I won't let anyone take away the happiness I have for my baby son. I know Louis won't either.'
2 of 6'Larry Stylinson'
Now, one of the reasons that the aforementioned 'Babygate' gained so much traction was because of the seemingly never-ending conspiracy that, actually, Harry and Louis were together. The rumour has started spiralling again after Eroda, the account of the fictional island where the music video for Harry's Adore You was based, like a Tweet referencing a popular theory that the song is inspired by the picture book Louis The Fish.
3 of 6Niall had a secret son
When Niall's brother Greg had a child in 2014, some fans naturally thought the baby was Niall's... Why? No reason, really. OK then.
4 of 6The true meaning of Made In The A.M.?
Zayn Malik crushed numerous hearts the world over when he acrimoniously left One Direction in 2015. Their next album, post-Zayn, was called Made In The A.M.? Does that mean the tracks were recorded in the morning... Or that the album marked their new era, After Malik?
5 of 6Prince Louis was actually named after Louis Tomlinson
According to some fans, there was absolutely no way that Kate and Wills' son Prince Louis was named after Lord Louis Mountbatten. Oh no, they were definitely superfans of One Direction and wanted to honour the band's name. Seems legit.
6 of 6Backwards secret messages
Listen back to They Don't Know About Us and you will hear secret messages like: 'Shut up. Don't ignore me. Don't ignore me. Believe it. … Nice going Modest [One Direction's former management]!' We don't recommend it by the way, it sounds super creepy.
READ MORE: I Became A Journalist To Interview One Direction - Here's The Story Of When I Met Niall Horan