What We Know About Liam Payne And Justin Bieber's Friendship

Following Liam Payne's tragic death at the age of just 31, in Argentina in October 2024, his former One Direction bandmates and many other stars shared heartbreaking tributes to the beloved singer. Justin Bieber was among the celebrity friends who publicly mourned the loss, writing on his Instagram Story "Rest easy Liam" along with a broken-heart emoji (via Us Weekly). The pop star also reposted a fan-made video about the "Strip That Down" hitmaker's death, which featured audio that noted, "You are allowed to love someone you've never met. You are allowed to admire someone for their art. You are allowed to cry, to break, to feel like a part of you is gone. Because even if they never knew your name, they changed your world."

Like Payne's relationship with Taylor Swift, which had its ups and downs, he and Bieber's journey to becoming friends was far from smooth sailing. The issue between the two pop stars stemmed mainly from Payne's hurtful response to a fan comparing him to the "Sorry" hitmaker. In 2022, the former boybander revealed on the "Impaulsive" podcast that he once caused major drama when, in a drunken moment, Payne quipped on Instagram Live, "The only thing between me and [Bieber] is I haven't been arrested" (the pop star was arrested twice and pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including careless driving, but avoided jail time). Payne insisted he "wasn't even meaning to offend" Bieber, but the damage was done, and tensions mounted.

The Bieber comparisons may have annoyed Payne, but there was a reason a portion of their fandoms overlapped. They both shot to superstardom when they were teenagers and had their every move scrutinized. However, while it was their many similarities that caused the comparisons, they also later led to their friendship.

Liam Payne confirmed during his appearance on "Impaulsive" that he mended fences with Justin Bieber after reaching out to him and having a candid, heartfelt conversation in person. The former One Direction member acknowledged to the "Baby" singer that they had even more in common than people realized, and it was because of this that he could understand and empathize with his highly-publicized struggles. "I was like, 'Dude, I've always felt for you.' I said, 'Number one, I've done all the things you've done and I've never been caught for any of them,'" Payne recalled.

He went on to confess that though they all "suffer from the same disease" — likely referring to fame and attention — he believed that Bieber had it much tougher because he didn't have bandmates around him who could truly understand what he was going through and support him, "And [Bieber] was like, 'Bro, that's giving me chills.'"

It is unclear when exactly their heart-to-heart occurred, but the British pop star informed Rollacoaster magazine in 2017 that he gave Bieber his number and reassured him that he was always happy to lend an ear if required. As Payne reasoned simply, "He needs somebody like that and in that position," (via Hello! magazine).