Liam Paynes Girlfriends Friendship Sparks Outrage

American YouTuber Trisha Paytas has never shied away from sharing controversial opinions about celebrities on her hugely popular channel. But even she couldn’t have anticipated the furious backlash after she discussed the late star on an episode of her podcast, Just Trish.

The episode – which is still available on  – was released on October 8, 2024, eight days before Liam’s tragic death after he fell from a hotel balcony in Argentina.

Liam – who we now know had been suffering from drink and drug addiction – had been acting erratically during a series of public appearances.

So, conversation turned towards the troubled star – and his relationship with his ex-bandmates after One Direction’s break-up in 2016.

‘He’s on weird terms with, like, everyone from One Direction,’ opined Trisha’s co-host, comedian Zach Justice. ‘If there’s no reunion, it’s because of Liam. Because they just don’t want to be around him.’

‘They need to exile Liam,’ Trisha, 37, replied. ‘People would be more excited about a reunion if there was no Liam. Their value goes up.’

‘I don’t know him, I couldn’t tell you one harmony he sings,’ she continued.

A little over a week later, Liam was dead – and One Direction fans declared Trisha officially ‘cancelled’ for her insensitive comments.

So, imagine their surprise now that Trisha has struck up an unlikely friendship with Liam’s former girlfriend of two years, Kate Cassidy.

Earlier this month, while discussing influencer Kate’s numerous social media posts about her late boyfriend, Trisha announced on her podcast: ‘I love her. She follows me, too.’

Then, this week, Kate posted a sultry selfie, with the caption: ‘Yes I’ve seen the Trisha podcast clip and the feeling is mutual.’ Her words were followed by a red heart emoji.

Naturally, Directioners are stunned – and many have questioned Kate’s motives. After all, the influencer built a huge social media following from her romance with Liam and continues to post tearful videos about her grief more than two years on – which rake in thousands of views.

One insider tells me: ‘Kate has spent the last 18 months or so living off of Liam even though he is dead.

‘It has been lucrative for her, and now she has cultivated a friendship with one of Liam’s fiercest critics. Nobody can understand why she has done this. It feels very disrespectful and perhaps is yet further evidence that Kate’s motives may not be straightforward.’

Indeed, those who knew Liam are ‘disgusted’ at her lack of loyalty. ‘Why would anyone do this?’ asked one. ‘It’s not a very nice way of remembering your boyfriend – Trisha slated him so very publicly.’

But this is just the latest in a series of incidents that have led many One Direction fans to turn against Kate.

After Liam’s death, many were furious that she had chosen to leave him alone in Argentina. Kate claims that she had to fly back to their home in Miami to look after their rescue puppy. 

In her absence, Liam took a cocktail of drugs at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel before he died – a fate some fans claim might have been avoided if she had stayed with him.

Kate has also found herself the victim of a social media pile-on for her actions in the aftermath of Liam’s death. In October 2025, she shared a selection of haunting, AI-generated images of the couple – pictures which distressed those who knew and loved the singer.

Nor will fans ever forgive Kate for the interview she gave last year to a red-top newspaper, for which she is thought to have been paid a ‘high five-figure sum’.

Then there was the day Kate moved out of the London flat rented by Liam, where she had been living following his death. She was seen looking forlorn in photographs, clutching a soft toy as she watched her suitcases being loaded into a waiting taxi.

It later emerged that the pictures were likely to have been staged by Kate – and that Liam’s parents Geoff and Karen had politely asked her to leave the property – a clue that there was no love lost between them.

Now friends of Liam – and his loyal fans – believe that her actions have gone beyond the pale.

‘What a thing to do,’ said one. ‘Maybe she has finally moved on, but really, does she have to do it like this?’