Zayn Malik Is Facing Intense Backlash Over His Latest Comments About Gigi Hadid

I have no doubt you remember when Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid were a beloved celebrity couple. They were first linked in 2015, and they dated on and off for six years. I don't know who these people are, but the man wears a printed T-shirt, and the woman wears a long-sleeve, futuristic-themed dress with a tied jacket

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In September 2020, Gigi and Zayn even welcomed a daughter together, Khai. However, the couple broke up soon after Khai’s first birthday, following reports of a physical altercation between Zayn and Yolanda Hadid, Gigi’s mother. Two people walking; one in a patterned jacket and jeans, the other in a chic suit with long hair, both with a relaxed demeanor

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Zayn denied the allegations and filed a “no contest” plea to four counts of harassment, which meant that he wouldn’t fight the charges in court.

Since their breakup, Gigi and Zayn have seemingly remained on pretty good terms. And now, appearing on the latest episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, the former One Direction star reflected on his relationship with Gigi after host Alex Cooper asked about his previous claim that he’s never “truly been in love.” Two people walking. The person on the left wears a long coat and holds a coffee cup. The person on the right wears a leather jacket and a baseball cap

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“At that moment in time, I might have thought it was love, but as I got older, I realized maybe it wasn’t,” he told Alex, acknowledging that his understanding of love is “always developing.” “Maybe it was lust, maybe it was this, maybe it was that? I don’t feel like it was love.” A person is seated in a room, wearing a casual hooded sweatshirt with graphic patches, next to shelves with posters and beverages

He continued: “Just to say this on record, I will always love G because she is the reason my child is on this earth, and I have the utmost respect for her. But I don’t know if I was ever in love with her.” Person sitting in a cozy room with vintage decor, wearing a casual hoodie with graphic patches, engaged in conversation As we mentioned, this isn’t the first time that Zayn has publicly confessed to this. In 2024, he said on the Zach Sang Show: “I don’t know if I’ve actually truly been in love at this point. You look back at it with new eyes, and you’re like, ‘Well, maybe I wasn’t in love there.’ Was it love or is it life experience that we are going through? Who knows.” Person with tattoos is taking a selfie while lying on a bed, looking directly at the camera

Zayn’s Call Her Daddy interview only dropped a day ago, and it hasn’t taken long for his quotes about love to stir up some serious backlash. On X, there are posts with 100,000+ likes, highlighting that it’s in very poor taste to publicly say that you never deeply loved someone you dated for multiple years and share a child with. Tweet questioning sincerity in a relationship, mentioning a tattoo and a child, and requesting to play "Manchild" by Sabrina Carpenter @stunninbrina / Via x.com Tweet expressing disbelief about a man not loving his partner of six years, with whom he has a child, describing it as demonic behavior

Tweet saying, "dating men is so scary cause what" with a profile picture next to the username Tweet discussing a person's lack of love for Gigi and questioning the insensitivity of the statement given a six-year relationship @styles_sublime / Via x.com Tweet expressing disbelief about a man's contradictory actions and statements regarding his feelings in a past relationship Tweet from Valerie: "This is a terrible thing to say publicly about someone you were with for six years." @Valistryingg / Via x.com

In Zayn’s defence, some people have argued that it isn’t “uncommon” to not truly understand romantic love until you’re a bit older. However, others have pushed back, saying that it’s not what Zayn said, but how, when, and where he said it that’s the real issue — plus the risk that it may have hurt Gigi. Tweet criticizing someone's public statement about their past relationships, highlighting the insensitivity and potential emotional harm caused @danishacarterr / Via x.comSo, what do you think of all this? LMK in the comments. In the meantime, here’s where you can watch Zayn’s full Call Her Daddy interview for yourself.More on this