Fans Outraged as Viral Clip of Liam Payne’s ‘Tense’ Exchange with Diddy Sparks Theories That His Death Was No Accident
Bizarre conspiracy theories have surfaced linking Liam Payne’s death to a past “fearful” encounter with troubled hip-hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, just hours after the 31-year-old singer tragically fell to his death on Wednesday.
In resurfaced footage from a 2017 appearance on The Graham Norton Show, the former One Direction member recounted meeting Diddy and describing him as having “the most evil laugh” and making the interaction uncomfortable with a prolonged handshake.
Payne recalled to the amusement of fellow guests David Walliams and Salma Hayek, saying, “I went over and thought, who’s the easy target in this scenario, who’s the one you go to say hello, and I’m thinking, ‘I saw him [Diddy] in Getting To The Greek, I’m gonna go over there and say hello to him.’”
As Payne approached Diddy and shook his hand, he remembered Diddy having an “evil laugh” and giving him “the longest handshake ever.”
“I’m just sat there looking into P Diddy’s eyes and thinking when is this going to end?” Payne explained.
He went on to describe another uncomfortable encounter: “The worst of it then happened. There was a whole thing with Jay-Z and I went to lean in to speak to him, but you can’t lean in to Jay-Z, you’re not allowed to lean in.”
Payne added, “His bodyguard just shoved me like this and I went flying across the room. I was like, right, I’m just going to sit over here with Ellie Goulding.”
Payne concluded, “It was a very awkward moment.”
In the wake of the singer’s death, some online conspiracy theorists have implied that this event might hold more significance, as Diddy currently faces trial for sex trafficking and racketeering charges that have rocked the music industry.
Payne tragically fell 45 feet from the third floor of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires on Wednesday.
Authorities confirmed that substances were found in the hotel room, indicating prior alcohol and drug consumption, as they continue investigating the circumstances of his death.
Argentina’s prosecutor’s office stated on Thursday that it is evaluating whether Payne was “semi-conscious or completely unconscious” when the incident occurred.
As the investigation proceeds, some social media users have proposed wild theories connecting Payne’s death to his previous encounter with Diddy.
One user wrote, “Liam Payne was put off considerably when he met Diddy for the first time. Liam is now dead.”
“I don’t think that is coincidental. Just putting that out there…” the post continued.
Another user shared a clip from Payne’s appearance on the show, commenting, “Liam talking about P. Diddy, they soon shut him down.”
A third user remarked, “Isn’t it funny how this video was circulating last week online and now he’s dead.”
Other users suggested, without providing evidence of their claims, that Payne would have been asked as a witness to Diddy’s forthcoming trial.